Enigma/Guide

Initiator
's primary role is initiating a team fight by sucking enemies into his. He starts off in the jungle, farming with an indescribable efficiency with his Eidolons and setting up ganks with those. His ultimate is probably the strongest team fight ability in the game, as it pierces magic immunity, deals pure damage and disables enemies for an incredible 4 seconds, and it has a large AoE. Not to forget, this is "only" his ultimate ability, he still has other tricks on his sleeve, like the bothering stun chain from and the HP % damage from. In contrast, such strength comes with a huge price, as and all Enigma's abilities cooldown and mana cost are insanely high, he is kinda fragile, and the ultimate must be channeled, so good positioning and timing when casting are required. Due to this, Enigma's mandatory item is, as it offers him the capability to gank, escape and, mainly, start a team fight by placing a scary in the middle of the enemy lines. Having a Dagger on his hands, the other items may vary, but often, Enigma players rush a as a protective item against any ability that might cancel 's channeling and to any heavy nuke. ,, , are some of the items that should be useful on Enigma's inventory.

When not fighting, Enigma is jungling or either ganking an enemy with and.

Ability Builds

 * Maxing out first is crucial for a jungling Enigma, as it makes his Eidolons more tanky and deal more damage against creeps, especially those in the medium and large camps.  is mostly used to clear trees or just to add more damage to the jungling, but the next priority skill must be, as this ability has more effect in fights than Midnight Pulse. Keep in mind that Midnight Pulse's damage is percentage based, meaning it will deal roughly the same portion of damage to all enemy Heroes, and its best use is only to add minor damage to fights, not as a zoning or killing-intent spell.


 * Should Enigma choose to go to a lane instead of jungle, Malefice should be the maxed out spell first as the stun can help a lane partner gain on the enemy and either kill or zone them out of the lane, and the Eidolons are used to push towers quick or simply kill creeps that are either hard to reach or damage (like the ranged or siege creeps). Midnight Pulse is still a low-priority spell as early game its damage is rather negligible, only being useful to destroy trees in a large area or add minor DPS to a gank or initiation.

Talents

 * Level 10: The additional magic resistance is more useful if Enigma is having trouble against enemy nukers such as, or . But if the enemy lacks nukes or Enigma finds himself always lagging behind teamfights, the movement speed is the better option for better mobility.
 * Level 15: The extra gold per minute should be the definite choice if Enigma is aiming to buy expensive late-game items as soon as possible, such as, or , or perhaps if Enigma has been ganked too many times early game and is lacking in farm. But, if Enigma finds himself with plenty of gold on his own or items are not his greatest concern, the cooldown reduction will serve him better as it will allow him to initiate or disrupt teamfights more frequently, even allowing him to skip buying Octarine Core in favor for another item.
 * Level 20: If the enemy possesses high amounts of damage and tends to focus Enigma before he can initiate, the decreased respawn time can help Enigma get back into the fray to perhaps try again with his initiation and/or help his team should they find themselves lacking in power. But, if Enigma's team has the advantage, the additional health can make him tankier and more difficult to bring down or dissuade, allowing him to land a good Black Hole easily if the enemy lacks disables.
 * Level 25: These talent choices are rather more dependent on Enigma's skill. If he can micromanage his Eidolons very well, an additional eight more can increase his pushing and farming potential greatly, clearing camps and leveling towers at a much quicker pace. But care must be taken, for the additional Eidolons may appear to the enemy as free gold, especially if they have lots of area-of-effect damage spells such as or . If feeding the enemy team gold seems evident, then the extra armor will help him immensely if he jumps directly into the enemy team to initiate, possibly even allowing him to dive into high ground or towers if he assesses the situation right.

General

 * Enigma works best with allied heroes that have strong AoE capabilities, such as, or.
 * Enigma can kill Roshan before the 10-minute mark, with the help of Level 3 or 4 Eidolons. For acquiring them, use on either a neutral creep if he's on the Radiant side, or a lane creep if he's on the Dire side. An item commonly picked up is a, as it allows him to reduce Roshan's armor for a higher damage output. Begin the fight by tanking Roshan yourself, until your Eidolons have multiplied; let the Eidolons take over and apply a Healing Salve. Try to micro the Eidolons to distribute the damage that Roshan does to them. Re-cast Demonic Conversion on one of the Eidolons before they expire and repeat the process (tank, heal up, nuke). If executed properly, Roshan will fall within about one minute.
 * Enigma's large mana consumption means that can be an effective boots upgrade. If the player chooses to ignore upgrading boots,  may be taken later on to take advantage of his pushing power.
 * is a powerful tool when used with Black Hole.
 * is a viable alternative to Blink Dagger, if enemies do not have detection.
 * is a great substitute for Blink Dagger, offering some Intelligence.
 * also works on Enigma as it helps with both his mana and health.
 * discourages Heroes outside of your Black Hole from attacking you. can be used to a similar effect.
 * may also prove to be a useful item on a team with hardcore gankers as the mana regeneration and strength boost really helps him out early in the game.
 * Enigma can get and  quickly thanks to his jungling ability.
 * , as an alternative to Black King Bar, is a good item when up against Heroes with single-target disables that go through spell immunity such as.
 * One of the deadliest combos executed with is Sand king's . Locking all heroes in allows Sand King to channel it safely, while also making sure the pulses hit 95% of the time, dealing extraordinary damage. Even more so if used in conjunction with.
 * Due to it pulling enemies closer together, Enigma synergises particularly well with heroes with strong but small AoE damage, be it physical (i.e. with his cleave), or otherwise (i.e.  with ).


 * Enigma's presence in encounters is greatly diminished while Black Hole is on cooldown, but he can make himself useful by saving Malefice for a crucial moment and also sneaking around to use Midnight Pulse within an area the enemies may try to escape through. A good combo is to use Malefice on an enemy walking through Midnight Pulse or any allied AoE damaging spell.
 * Malefice can prove to be surprisingly detrimental to opponents with slow attack speed, such as siege units and 's Golem, as the periodic stun will reset their attack animation and prevent their attacks from connecting with their intended targets.
 * Roshan in particular is hampered by this spell greatly, as this not only prevents him from performing basic attacks, but also greatly reduce the chances of him bashing.
 * Take note that Malefice acts as a debuff that can be dispelled easily with any basic dispel.
 * Although Malefice can easily be dispelled, the first stun will always occur so long as the spell hits the target. The subsequent stuns/damage instances may not be important if the primary purpose of the spell is to disrupt channeling abilities.


 * At a 170 mana per cast, Demonic Conversion is a very costly spell during the early game. It is generally a good idea to withhold casting it during the laning phase until the skill is at level 3 or 4 when the eidolons deal better damage.
 * Eidolons have an innate 50% spell resistance, but have very low maximum health, even when the skill is fully maxed. With their high gold bounty, they are prime targets for farmers, and care should be taken to ensure that they are not recklessly sacrificed.
 * While they have rather low health, they deal very high damage, especially when you've manage to amass six of them after splitting. Coupled with items such as and 's summons, and they are a force to be reckoned with.
 * In sufficient number, Eidolons can be used effectively in encounters, as en masse their collective attack does significant damage. If you die in an encounter and you have Eidolons still alive, use them to boost your team's damage a little.
 * Demonic Conversion is one of the few abilities that can instantly destroy siege units. Keep this in mind whenever your tower is under attack by them.
 * Keeping Eidolons around you is a very good idea when there is a Pudge or Mirana on the enemy team, as it makes you very difficult to be hooked or arrowed, which is important considering that Enigma is very easy prey for kills in the early game.
 * When jungling, max Demonic Conversion to beef up your Eidolons and increase their damage. Also, micro your Eidolons to make sure none of the initial three Eidolons die to jungle creeps so that all of them can multiply. This increases jungling speed significantly. Do not be afraid to tank for your Eidolons either when clearing the big camps.
 * Eidolons will always split and fully heal upon firing their 7th shot. Careful micro-management is key whenever you are using them for jungling or tower-pushing.


 * Investing one point in Midnight Pulse for early game utility is usually enough, as Enigma does not have a rather large mana pool early game, and that mana could be better spent on creating Eidolons for his time in the jungle or to have some sort of immediate stun for his enemies using Malefice.
 * Using Midnight Pulse before Black Hole is often a good idea to boost the damage done. However, you must use this at your discretion because there might not be a time to use it or it can make you miss out on crucial Black Holes.
 * Like Black Hole, Midnight Pulse deals pure damage and bypasses spell immunity. This means heroes who use will still take the full effect of the spell if they do not leave the area of effect. When not comboing with Black Hole, Midnight Pulse can be used to hold off important chokepoints such as tier 3 towers or Roshan from opposing heroes.


 * Black Hole is a very powerful disable that bypasses the spell-immunity granted by . Lasting for 4 seconds, a successful cast will almost guarantee a team-wipe, especially if he's paired up with a Hero like or.
 * Black Hole is a channeling spell, and care and consideration should be kept in mind when looking at the opponent's Hero lineup. You may need to invest in a or  to minimise the odds of getting interrupted.
 * Beware of as he can counter you very well. While you are channeling Black Hole, you are also very prone to having it stolen or interrupted. While spell immunity prevents most interruption, Rubick's Spell Steal is unaffected by it, and he can potentially ruin your initiation with the Black Hole of his own.  could be bought to prevent Spell Steal, however, keep in mind that Rubick has two other single-target abilities, and possibly a couple of single-target items as well.
 * may also be bought to avoid all of Rubick's spells if used during Black Hole's channeling. But keep in mind that invisibility is very easily countered by detection items, and if you lack a Black King Bar, his Telekinesis' stun could be used to interrupt you instead.
 * It is always a good idea to refresh your Black Hole immediately after casting, as a teamfight can happen anytime, anywhere. Although, depending on the situation, it is also equally wise to save Refresher Orb for next cast, as a double Black Hole can be very devastating to the enemy team, provided it is executed properly.

Items
Starting Items:
 * Enigma needs lots of potions early in the game to farm the jungle consistently.
 * is useful when you are out of mana and Clarities.
 * Enigma does not need many items to jungle efficiently at level 1, so he can afford to buy the.

Early Game:
 * helps in the jungle since it gains charges from neutral creeps casting their abilities.
 * gives mana regeneration and armor for Enigma and his Eidolons, and can be later built into a if you are going for a pusher role.
 * is a great source of mana, allowing him to use his as often as possible. Enigma does not often go close to enemies since his abilities and his Eidolons have a relatively reliable range.
 * help you getting into position to use.

Core Items:
 * is a cost effective upgrade from Magic Stick.
 * give high health regeneration in early levels, which can be used in between creep farming in the jungle, or during since Enigma has his Eidolons to tank for him. The high speed also enables Enigma to roam quickly in search for other creep camps, or to help gank.
 * helps your positioning greatly and helps to pull off a good.
 * is an inexpensive item that gives you more durability while you are channeling.
 * grants him additional range, allowing him to land his ultimate perhaps at much quicker speed without having to walk toward the team, and also to keep him out of harm's way if there is a nearby enemy that is not caught by his ultimate.

Situational:
 * is highly recommended, as Enigma can farm very quickly in the early stages of the game, is relatively item independent, and has a large mana pool, all of which are traits of a strong Mekansm carrier. The added armor, health regen, and active heal can also aid Enigma's Eidolons, and is very effective and needed to buff or remedy hurt allies in teamfights.
 * is essential if the enemy team can easily interrupt your, although you must keep in mind if the offending abilities are blocked by spell immunity.
 * gives Enigma high health and mana regen. The active is also very useful, which can be used either in case the first failed, or another teamfight broke out sooner than expected.
 * greatly increases the effectiveness of Enigma's, as well as much needed stats to remedy his health and mana pools.
 * provides an intense increase to mana regeneration, and adds a much needed secondary disable that does not have a casting delay.
 * also gives Enigma some mana management bonuses, and its active ability synergizes well with.
 * synergizes well with his damage over time spells like or . It also helps him to earn gold faster.
 * And if no one else is planning to, or Enigma is the least item dependent Hero in the team, buying a benefits the team greatly.
 * allows a slot to be freed, provides a steady supply of health and mana regeneration to the team, and increases Enigma's survivability.
 * is an alternative to Black King Bar for when the enemy team has disables that ignore spell immunity, such as.