Enigma from Dota 2 earned the glory of a very complex, but at the same time interesting and useful hero. But of course, very few players can fully reveal the character’s potential, because it’s not enough to know how to develop a hero, you need to feel the moment of using abilities, otherwise there’s no sense in such a game will not be.
What is Enigma, what are its capabilities and talents, is described in this article.
The story of Enigma from "DotA 2"
No one knows who or what Enigma is. The only thing that can be said about this creature is that it has remarkable strength and is capable of absorbing worlds. On the one hand, pure formless chaos, on the other, a material entity.
Someone believes that once he was an alchemist, others think that an ancient creature, which was born by the emptiness itself. Or maybe this is what remains of the exploding star - a sensible black hole that absorbs everything in its path.
One way or another, if players carefully listen to random phrases uttered by the hero in relation to Keeper of the Light, Io and Chaos Knight, it will become clear that Enigma from Dota 2 represents one of the fundamental forces of the Universe.
Abilities
The first skill of the character - Malefice - directs the flow of energy to the chosen target. He stuns her with an interval of 2 seconds, and also deals damage. The second ability is demonic conversion. It turns the chosen neutral into three small controlled copies of Enigma - eidolons that can multiply after a certain number of attacks.
Another skill is Midnight Pulse, which deals damage in a certain area depending on the maximum health of the enemy who has been dealt. Immunity to magic does not protect against it, as well as obstacles in the form of trees - they are destroyed.
The ultimate ability is called Black Hole. It also acts in the area, pulling the affected opponents into its center, like a real black hole. During the action, the enemies are not able to move, carry out attacks or use skills.
Talents
As many players already know, in 2016 the improvement of individual characteristics was replaced by the talent tree in Dota 2. Enigma, therefore, at level 10 can choose from the left side +15 magic resistance or increase movement speed by 25 units on the left. Level 15 makes it possible to reduce the cooldown of your abilities by 15% or increase the flow of gold per minute by 150 coins.
The 20th level in the left branch adds 70 to the damage of the eidolons (second ability), and in the right - 500 health units to Enigma himself. And the final 25 level on the left side increases the number of eidolons by 8, and on the right +5 to trigger the first skill.
Roles in the game: offline pusher
Below we will talk about how to play for Enigma in DotA 2. Most often, he manifests himself in two roles, the first of which is conditionally divided into two. This is an offline Enigma, the goals of which may vary depending on the game situation. It is worth starting with a style of play aimed at demolishing enemy buildings.
As a line, it is preferable to choose a heavy line. The hero is capable of finishing neutrals from the very beginning, without exposing himself to attack, as well as providing himself with additional visibility with the help of the 3rd ability, destroying trees. Stunning is able to give the necessary time to leave in the event of a sudden attack of one or two opponents. However, it is worth remembering that at the time of the appearance of a large number of enemies, Enigme will be very difficult to leave before the appearance of a blink dagger. If it’s too heavy to stand on the line or you need extra gold, then you can always go into the forest. Also at the beginning of the game there is an acute shortage of mana.
The guide to the Enigma Dota 2 Pusher is as follows. If the team is aimed at a quick push, then the hero is able to maintain the necessary pressure on the enemy with the help of eidolons and the right artifacts. It is worth paying attention to allied heroes. This type of swing works well with Drow Ranger, Visage, Beast Master, Lycan, Broodmother and Pugna.
Starting purchases include Tango, Clarity and procurement for the Soul Ring purchase, which will help solve the problem of mana deficiency. As soon as there is enough money, you need to buy Boots os Speed and Helm of Dominator, which will give the opportunity to tame any forest creep. Here you should give preference to creeps with an aura, namely centaurs or satyrs. Arcane Boots and Mekansm will support all controlled neutrals. As for skills, up to level 6, the third ability should be improved to three points, and the first and second are taken at once. Receiving ults can be delayed if the team is not involved in serious fights. Level 10 Recommended Talent - Increase Movement Speed.
In the middle of the game, regardless of the role, Blink Dagger will always be required, which will make it possible to quickly break into the thick of the fight and also quickly escape in case of need. If the enemy’s heroes do not allow to push through the lines, then it is best to buy a Pipe of insight. When a character suffers from physical damage, it is worth upgrading Acrane Boots and Mekansm to Guardian Greaves. Any artifacts that give an aura will be a great choice. It’s even possible to buy Crimson Guard. At level 15, a cooldown reduction is selected.
In the late game, it is worth leaving the role of a pusher and giving the ultimate ability as often as possible (however, you should always let it in as often as possible into the crowd of the enemy), which can completely turn the game around. Therefore, it should be improved with Aghanim. Black King's Bar will cover the character from the ability of the enemy to bring down prokast. To use the ult more often, you can build Octarine Core. Talent selection at level 20 and 25 is an increase in the level of health and damage from Malefice, respectively.
Offline attacker
When the style of the game consists in team attacks on the heroes of the opponent, the guide to Enigma in “DotA 2” will be slightly different from the one written above.
Starting purchase at the initial stage of the game remains the same. Enigma in Dota 2 always in this case needs additional mana, so it’s worth collecting Soul Ring. If all is well, you can quickly exit to Hand of Midas. When it’s hard to stand on the line, the player should buy Blink Dagger. Talent at the 10th level and swing are also repeated, but at the 6th level an ultimate ability is necessarily taken.
If Enigma comes across an enemy core hero or leader (especially with a series of killings), then it is recommended not to regret ult, because in addition to a lot of gold, this is a good ability to throw the enemy back a few steps.
Enigma's key ability in battles is the Black Hole, so you cannot let your enemies knock him down. Consequently, Black King's Bar is the best choice (as with most other heroes). If there are those on the opposing team who can bring down prokast through BKB, then Linken Sphere can be purchased. When the enemy’s auto-attacks make it impossible to do anything, you need to assemble Aeon Disk. At level 15, it is best to choose a shortened ability. But if gold is not enough, then it would be nice to take +150 to gpm.
In the late stage of the game, preference should be given to talents from the right branch. Regarding items, it is recommended to pay attention to Scythe of Vise, Refresher Orb, Octarine Core, Shiva's Guard and, of course, Aghanim Scepter.
Forester
With new map changes, this role has become less popular. However, if there is no other choice, then there is always the opportunity to go into the forest, since eidolons can easily help with the farming of neutral creeps.
Again, the main problem in the early stages of the game is lack of mana. Therefore, it is best to buy 3 Clarity and again a blank for Soul Ring. First you need to farm weaker creeps, such as ghosts, ogres, and harpies. You also need to correctly control the eidolons, you can clear 2 camps in a row with one use of the ability. Storing coins is on Hand of Midas. First of all, you need to focus on fully pumping 2 and 3 skills. The first ability can not be touched. At level 6, the ultimate should also not be taken. From talents it is worth choosing a movement speed at 10th level.
Once the third ability is developed to three points, you can start farming on ancient creeps. This can be done in the following order: first eidolons are created on ordinary forest neutrals, and then sent to the ancient s. They must beat in such a way that none of them perishes, but, on the contrary, multiplies. Therefore, as a rule, an attack begins with a LOGOUND. If it’s hard to stand in the forest, then instead of the Soul Ring you can start with Headdres and the Ring of Basilius.
In the middle of the game you need to collect Radiance. Together with the 3rd skill and ultimate it will be possible to kill almost any hero. As you gain new levels, all abilities develop to the maximum. Further talents (level 15) are selected based on the situation. The main goal is to do as much damage as possible.
In the late game, the artifacts remain the same as in the role of the offline player. At the 20th and 25th levels, talents are selected from the right branch. Ideally, you need to drag all the enemies with the ult as often as possible, but the focus of core heroes or support can also help improve the game situation.
This is the main guide to Enigma in DotA 2. Now it is worthwhile to dwell in more detail on his combinations with the heroes.
Ligaments and counters: intelligence
Heroes with the characteristic "intellect" can become both good allies and strong enemies. Enigma can help with its abilities: Crystal Maiden (mana regen and ultimate for Black Hole, Silencer (prevents enemies from using abilities), Puck (able to bind and substitute opponents for ult), Queen of Pain and Ancient Apparation (again uses his ultimates in Black Hole center.) You can also add Lion and Zeus here, especially with the purchased Aghanim, which can cause a huge amount of damage during Enigma prokast.
Rubick should beware, because if he steals an ultimate, then the whole team will have a hard time. Of course, this includes Silencer with its global silence. In addition to it, the ult caste can bring down Skywrath Mage, as well as Necrophos and Winter Wyvern (even through BKB). Do not forget that the silence from Silencer works even through Black King's Bar.
In the video you can see how the ultimate abilities of Crystal Maiden and Enigma are combined.
Agility
A good combination with Enigma will be: Riki (an already familiar blackhall ult scheme), Faceless Void (can hold enemies in the dome before or after Black Hole to finish off), Leech and Invoker (everything is clear here, missions on a group of enemies).
Those who are able to burn mana or shoot down ultimate, of course, can greatly ruin the game: again Riki, Phantom Lancer, Antimage, Mirana, Weaver, Faceless Void and Vengenful Spirit. No further explanation is required here.
Force
Ax, Magnus and Tidehunter, which can keep the enemy in one place, can be recorded as allies. In addition to them, Sand King, Sven and Timber are capable of causing damage during and after blackhall. You can also add Phoenix to this list.
Counterpikes will be: Underlord (able to withdraw the whole team from under ults); Ax, Legion Commander, Beastmaster (knock down prokast even through BKB).
To see how Enigma interacts with various heroes in relation to the latest game changes, you can watch one of the latest episodes, for example, Dota 2 Enigma moments ep. 59.
Artifacts
To prevent the hero from doing damage or using abilities, the following artifacts can be acquired: Scythe of Vise, Orchid / Bloodthorn, Aeon Disk, Abyssal Blade, Force Stuff.
Regarding Enigma himself, in 90% of cases he must have: BKB, Blink Dagger and Linken Sphere.
conclusions
In conclusion, it is worth saying that this guide is not a mandatory guide to the game. First of all, all players must think with their own heads. Various situations, combinations of heroes, location on the lines make the game multifaceted and not always predictable, therefore, depending on the situation, both the development of abilities and talents and the assembly of objects can vary.
You can see how Enigma realizes his abilities in the latest release of Dota 2 Enigma moments ep. 60.
Skills can be applied even in cases atypical for them. Any player can say that you should always use Black Hole to neutralize a large number of opponents. But is killing support or core heroes before a fight a bad option? All known combinations and combinations did not arise out of nowhere - everything was invented by both professional and ordinary players. Therefore, the main thing is to feel the situation well and guess the right moments.