Effects of lattice distortion and chemical short-range ordering on the incipient behavior of Ti-based multi-principal element alloys: MD simulations and DFT calculations

•The incipient load is lowered by lattice distortion and further declined by short-range ordering.•The dislocation nucleation is promoted by lattice distortion and further facilitated by short-range ordering.•The greater heterogeneous distribution of charge density and the higher the amount of Al-Al bonding, the lower the yielding load would be observed.•The increased indenter radius would not only reinforce the incipient yielding load but also changes the incipient mechanism.•The three studied orientations display a diverse initial plastic behavior.