Enigma - A Cipher Wrapped in an Enigma, Smothered in Secret Sauce

Enigma

Nothing is known of Enigmas background. There are only stories and legends, most of them apocryphal, passed down through the ages. In truth, Enigma is a mystery for whom the only true biography is description: he is a universal force, a consumer of worlds. He is a being of the void, at times corporeal, other times ethereal. A beast between the planes.

There are stories that say he was once a great alchemist who tried to unlock the secrets of the universe and was cursed for his arrogance. Other legends tell that he is an ancient being of strange gravity, the abyss personifieda twisted voice from out the original darkness, before the first light in the universe. And there are older legends that say he is the first collapsed star, a black hole grown complicated and sentienthis motivations unknowable, his power inexorable, a force of destruction unleashed upon existence itself.

Introduction

Enigma is most commonly played as a jungling hero, although he can also lane effectively in almost any combination. He is terrifying in teamfights, particularly against a predominantly melee team composition, and his ultimate complements other teamfight skills well (some examples: Death Ward, Chain Frost, Reverse Polarity, etc.). He can also be a good pushing hero.

Friends and Foes (WIP)

Friends
* This will be a partial list, as Enigma pairs really well with a large number of heroes. This includes heroes that provide a good setup for his ultimate, as well as heroes with strong area of effect spells, or multitarget ultimates, and dps heroes with built in cleave or for whom battlefury is a core item.

• Magnus
• Dark Seer
• Witch Doctor
• Lich
• Venomancer
• Sven
• Axe
• Warlock
• Juggernaut
• Death Prophet
• Phantom Assassin
• Tinker
• Earthshaker
• Legion Commander
• Puck
• Shadow Fiend
  Etc.

Foes
This includes long range dps heroes that can take you out from a distance, and heroes with spell piercing disables or high damage nukes whose range exceeds the radius of Black Hole.

• Sniper
• Lina
• Anti-Mage
• Bane
• Beastmaster
• Clockwerk While Hookshot does go through spell immunity the effect of Black Hole should provide you with some cover in most situations
• Clinkz
• Doom
• Drow Ranger
• Elder Titan
• Faceless Void
• Rubick
• Lich
• Naga Siren
• Necrophos
• Pudge Similar to Clockwerk
• Vengeful Spirit
• Warlock
• Windranger Potentially, if played as a carry

95% of Games

Max demonic conversion first.

To be honest I don't think I should even include the other builds. They're extremely situational, and should only be used if you feel you can really abuse the enemy team with them.

Starting Items

My starting items are pretty standard. We're getting a Ring of Protection to go towards a fast Ring of Basilius - or which can be used for Tranquil Boots if you opt to skip the Ring of Basilius - and a couple Iron Branches which will usually go towards a Mekansm, but are helpful for the extra stats regardless.

If your team doesn't have a good position 5 support, you should instead do your best to fill this role with support items - Observer Wards, Animal Courier, etc.

Boots

You can get by with just Boots of Speed for a while if you want to. Most people go for Tranquil Boots afterwards, or Arcane Boots if your team needs them. I generally prefer Power Treads, but that is really just my personal preference.

If you do buy Arcane Boots, I think Guardian Greaves is a good option. You might decide to avoid it, as its high recipe price may delay other items, but it does have the valuable benefit of freeing up a slot. You could even make an argument for getting both Guardian Greaves and Boots of Travel. I think the main factor in whether you should get Guardian Greaves or not will be how you fall in your team composition. If you are filling more of a support role, go for greaves. If not, get Power Treads, or stick with normal boots if you're planning on going for Boots of Travel and getting them relatively early looks feasible.

Mid Core and Options

A Blink Dagger is a must. It should be your first big item. Get this before upgrading your boots if you can.

Black King Bar will be your next core item in the mid game. You can very rarely skip it if the enemy team has no stuns. In general though, get it.

You should get Mekansm in the majority of games. Skip it if there is a better carrier - possibly a Viper for example - and consider getting a Pipe of Insight if it would be useful for your team.

Aghanim's Scepter

I get Aghanim's Scepter more than is usual. It is generally considered more of a luxury item than a core. However, Enigma's greatest strength is his teamfight contribution, and because of that I feel it is best to maximize its effect.

Aghanim's Scepter adds Midnight Pulse to its duration (this results in 8 instances opposed to 11 independently). This fully stacks with a previously cast Midnight Pulse. This is even better since Midnight Pulse goes through Black King Bar allowing you to do a lot of damage to units you might otherwise only disable.

If it looks like you can get Aghanim's Scepter early, max Midnight Pulse before Malefice. Many people max Midnight Pulse before Malefice regardless, but unless you will be getting an early Aghanim's Scepter, Malefice will usually be better suited to securing kills for a carry.

Luxury Items and Options

I think that the two best luxury items for Enigma are Refresher Orb and Shiva's Guard. The Refresher Orb is useful for obvious reasons. Your ultimate has an extremely long cooldown, and fantastically the disable - although not the damage - goes through Black King Bar. Your ultimate also requires you to be right in the thick of things, making Shiva's Guard a great second luxury item. I like to use it following my ult(s) to deal with any stragglers and/or prevent escape.

Black Hole does magical damage, making Veil of Discord a viable option. I tend to favor disable items however, such as Scythe of Vyse, Eul's Scepter of Divinity, and Rod of Atos. If you are going for a pushing style Necronomicon and Boots of Travel are the way too go. If your team is too squishy, you might instead opt for a Heart of Tarrasque and a Bloodstone - I consider Mekansm and Black King Bar a must with this build.

Summary

Enigma is a fairly easy hero to get into, although difficult to master. He has some of the best teamfight contribution in the game, and can be effective in multiple roles. His ultimate can make or break a teamfight, and you will find that knowing when and when not to use it, and being able to place it effectively, are arguably the most important skills to master as Enigma.

I'll be adding more soon.

Please leave me any feedback or comments on the guide. Thanks for reading.

Change Log

5/18/15 - Added some thoughts on Guardian Greaves and added it to Other Luxury / Situational items.
3/8/15 - Added some items to Luxury.
3/6/15 - Published guide.