Editing Enigma of Combination

{{disambig2|the mystical artifact|the sourcebook for the [[Transformers Roleplaying Game]] named for it|The Enigma of Combination}}
{{faction|nexusprime}}
[[File:Galaxies Enigma of Combination.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"A riddle, wrapped in a mystery..."]]

The '''Enigma of Combination''' is one of the [[Artifacts of the Primes|artifacts]] of the [[Thirteen]]. Possessed by [[Nexus Prime]], it is not only capable of fostering unity and cooperation of the minds of sentient creatures in its proximity, but also of bestowing one of the greatest abilities known to [[Transformer|Cybertronians]]—that of [[combiner|combination]]. This ancient tool can instantaneously merge any Cybertronians together into a combiner, enhance the power and mental stability of pre-existing combiners, or integrate new components into pre-existing combiner teams.

{{quote|They say that the Enigma was made for Nexus Prime. And they say that his purpose—its purpose—the intent that prompted Primus to bring him and it into being... was to inject some fragment of change, of unpredictability, of chaos, into a world that otherwise would be forever ordered.|[[Termagax]]|[[Lord of Misrule: Enigmatic|Enigmatic]]}}

==Fiction==
===Aligned continuity family===
====''The Covenant of Primus''====
In ancient times, Nexus Prime wielded the Enigma of Combination, which contained a fraction of his own combinational powers. Much like its owner, the Enigma frequently changed size and shape, making it impossible to predict or keep track of. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

===Generation 1 continuity family===
====2005 IDW continuity====
[[File:RID34 enigma of combination.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Hey! Listen!]]
The Enigma of Combination was created by [[Solus Prime]], sometime before the unification of the Thirteen. {{storylink|Transformers: Historia|Historia}} {{storylink|The Nothing Man}} [[Alpha Trion]] would come to regard the Enigma, and the other [[Artifacts of the Primes]], as "metaphors made real;" {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}} by channeling a primal force of the universe. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|It's Beginning To And Back Again}} For reasons unknown, [[Nexus Prime]] chose to conceal the artifact's physical nature, with even his closest allies believing the "enigma" in question was a puzzle whose solution allowed for [[Combiner|combination]]. {{storylink|The Crucible}}

During the [[First Cybertronian Civil War]], Nexus Prime and his [[Thirteen Tribes|tribe]] allied with [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Onyx Prime]], and the pair used the Enigma to create the first [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] by combining humanoid Transformers with Onyx's [[Maximal|bestial followers]]. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb}} The [[Darklands|Darklander]] warrior [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] was of the opinion that Onyx only tolerated Nexus due to the fact that the latter owned the Enigma; {{storylink|The Crucible}} sickened by the "abominations" that the Enigma produced, Galvatron waged a bloody crusade in the name of Cybertronian "purity" and slaughtered the Headmasters to the last 'bot {{storylink|Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb}} before killing Nexus and taking the Enigma. {{storylink|The Crucible}}

[[File:TheCrucible-TheDawnOfMan.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Not shown: Gregorian choir.]]

In the age that followed, Galvatron would partner with [[Nova Prime]], who, to accomplish his dream of an interstellar "[[expansion]]," sought to use combiners as a weapon of conquest. {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things|All Good Things}} Galvatron lied and claimed that Nexus had fled the planet and took the Enigma with him. Alpha Trion could detect the falsehood in Galvatron's words — none had ever known whether or not the Enigma was anything more than a ''concept'', but Galvatron clearly knew it to be a physical object. Realizing that he had accidentally tipped his hand, Galvatron shot the Enigma into space to put it beyond anyone's reach, {{storylink|The Crucible}} hoping that the Enigma would crash and burn up in a distant star. {{storylink|Now and On Earth}}

While stories of the Enigma's capabilities survived into the modern era of Cybertron, most Cybertronians dismissed the artifact as a myth. {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|Vs.}} Different groups of Transformers would infrequently attempt to recreate the "lost art" of combination, but what few successful combiners they produced were brutish and imperfect. {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things|All Good Things}} {{storylink|Before the Dawn}} {{storylink|The Crucible}}

After drifting in space for millennia, the Enigma fell to [[Earth]] seven to eight million years ago in the region that would one day become {{w|Mesopotamia}}. {{storylink|The Crucible}} {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|ONoffON}} 

Eventually, Onyx Prime — who had fled Cybertron at the conclusion of the First Cybertronian Civil War — became aware that the Enigma still existed in the universe and sent [[Domitius Major]] and the crew of the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' to find and retrieve it for him though this may have been a ruse so that the ''Axalon'' crew could play their role in the ontological paradox that the younger Shockwave had set in motion. {{storylink|Strange Visitors}} {{storylink|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook issue 1|Centurion profile}} {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} {{storylink|Our Finest}}

When the ''Axalon'' failed to return, Onyx sent another one of his servants to Earth in the form of the [[Titan Master]] [[Sovereign]]. Disguised as a human and extensively conditioned with false memories, Sovereign — who would come to take up the identity of "[[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]]," — was sent to find the Enigma and summon his master when he did so. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 3: Helden|Helden}} 

[[File:OnOffOn-EnigmaOfCombination.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

It is unknown how long Sovereign was active on Earth for; as "Blackrock," he claimed that the Enigma was first discovered by primitive humans some six thousand years ago at the intersection of the {{w|Tigris}} and {{w|Euphrates}} rivers. Its energies supposedly "combined" the thoughts and ideas of these early tribes, and the ancient warrior [[Gilgamesh]] would raise the city of [[Uruk]] to protect it. According to Blackrock, Gilgamesh passed the artifact to his children, and, over the centuries, this lineage—from which Blackrock supposedly took his surname — would use the Enigma to unite great minds in times of need, leading to breakthroughs such as the atomic bomb and the [[internet]]. {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|ONoffON}} Owing to Sovereign's jumbled state of mind, the veracity of these statements are unclear. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}} 

What is known is that, sometime prior to 2012, Blackrock came into possession of the Enigma while scouring the earth for Cybertronian artifacts. {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|ONoffON}} Unaware of his "Sovereign" persona and the original reason why he had been sent to Earth, {{storylink|Conquerors Part 3: Helden|Helden}} Blackrock deduced that the artifact was of Cybertronian origin and used it to jumpstart the lucrative [[Onyx]] corporation, tapping its quantum source code to develop miraculous new breakthroughs in interlinked software and robotics. {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part One: Signals, Calls, and Marches|Signals, Calls and Marches}} {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|ONoffON}} Over the next three years, Blackrock would use it to engineer his army of reverse-engineered [[Seeker clone]]s into combiners, {{storylink|The Nothing Man}} translate the Cybertronian language, {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}} and eventually develop the cutting-edge [[Onyx Interface]]: an all-encompassing software suite that connected every piece of Onyx tech to each other through the Enigma source code.{{storylink|Onyx Interface Part One: Signals, Calls, and Marches|Signals, Calls and Marches}}

Ex-[[Skywatch]] agent [[Spike Witwicky (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Spike Witwicky]] became aware of Blackrock's possession of the Enigma; hoping that the relic would provide a clue as to ''why'' the Transformers had constantly interfered with Earth's development, he planned to steal it from the [[Wanmu]] warehouse where Blackrock stored his extraterrestrial curios. {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|Vs.}}

Around 2012, Alpha Trion deduced the location of the Engima and set out to Earth to retrieve it. He left his travelling companion [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] in the care of the Camien [[cityspeaker]] [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] and cryptically informed her and her friends that he was hunting for "the holy grail". {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}}

[[File:TheObliterati-mine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"This mailbox is..."]]
After rescuing Trion from [[Earth Defense Command|EDC]] custody, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] learned of the Enigma's existence from Alpha Trion and ordered his lieutenant [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] to search for it while he returned to Cybertron. {{storylink|The Crucible}} Both Prowl and Galvatron — now leader of the [[Decepticon]]s — realized that Spike likely had some information about the Enigma's whereabouts, and both attempted to hunt him down. {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|Vs.}} Galvatron managed to convince his sibling [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]] to temporarily put aside their differences so that they could destroy the Enigma once and for all, but Prowl and the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s allied with Spike and beat them to the punch, using [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] to attack the Onyx facility. {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|ONoffON}}

Despite Blackrock's best efforts to put the Enigma beyond his reach, Devastator easily captured the artifact but quickly went berserk at the sight of Spike. When Galvatron's forces arrived to try and seize the Enigma, the enraged Devastator hurled it at Arcee in fury. In the chaos, Galvatron's underling [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] — in reality, a secret mole for Cybertron's leader [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]] — absconded with the Enigma and flew off to deliver the artifact to his boss, {{storylink|The Onyx Interface Conclusion: The Obliterati|The Obliterati}} who was hoping to obtain a combiner of his own. {{storylink|The World of Tomorrow}} Galvatron grimly predicted that this would soon mean the end of Cybertronian society. {{storylink|The Onyx Interface Conclusion: The Obliterati|The Obliterati}} 

Having recovered the comatose body of [[Superion (G1)|Superion]], Starscream recruited [[Wheeljack (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Wheeljack]] to use the Enigma to rebuild the combiner, drafting [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and [[Alpha Bravo]] to serve as replacement team members. {{storylink|The World of Tomorrow}} As first contact with the Cybertronian colony world of [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]] approached, Starscream devised a plan to win the adoration of the Camiens by first using the Enigma to recreate [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] as an out-of-control monster; when [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] and Menasor attacked Caminus, the [[Caminus (Titan)|eponymous Titan]] detected the Enigma's energy within the rogue combiner and tried to alert his [[cityspeaker]]s, but they were unable to properly interpret his warnings before Superion arrived to save the day. {{storylink|The Sum and Its Parts}} 

[[File:AnUneventfulNight-zap.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]] 
Starscream used the Enigma to reinvigorate the Aerialbots after Devastator began attacking Caminus's spacebridge, but after realizing that Superion couldn't do it alone, he used the Enigma on a group of bystanders to create [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]. {{storylink|Mistakes and Mayhem}} With Devastator defeated, Starscream sought to turn Devastator's power to his advantage and did so by using the Enigma on Scoop, turning him into a new leg for Devastator while ensuring that his devotion to the "Chosen One" meant that Devastator would obey Starscream's orders. Shortly afterwards, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]], acting on Prowl's orders, was able to steal the Enigma and deliver it to the captive Autobot, who used it on himself, Optimus, and some other Autobots to create [[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]]. {{storylink|You, Me, and the Universe}}

At the conclusion of the "[[Combiner Wars (event)|Combiner War]]", the newly formed [[Council of Worlds]] put the Enigma under [[Badgeless]] security so that nobody could abuse its power. Not long afterwards, however, Arcee stole it with the intent to destroy it: she wanted to be ensure that Starscream didn't turn people into combiners against their will. [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] and [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] gave chase into the [[Rust Sea]] where the Camien [[Torchbearer]]s, who saw destroying a Primal relic as blasphemy, intervened to help Windblade and inadvertently became a combiner, [[Victorion]], themselves! Eventually Windblade managed to convince Arcee to return the relic, so as to make sure Starscream had no excuse for military action. {{storylink|An Uneventful Night}}

[[File:TheNothingMan-EnigmaCode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Ones and zeros everywhere! And I thought I saw a two!"]]

While courting the favor of the five [[Titan (group)|Titan]] colonies, Starscream used the Enigma as a means to convince the inhabitants of planet [[Devisiun (planet)|Devisiun]], the colony of Nexus, to join the Council of Worlds. {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

On Earth, the Autobots aboard the ''Ark-7'' began investigating the source code behind the Onyx operating system; they discovered that every device utilized a highly adaptable code that could "correct" itself and instantaneously pass those changes along to every other Onyx device on Earth. Blackrock himself was aware of this property, and discovered that he could use the data on his Onyx systems to effectively see into the "souls" of every human on Earth... but received his first hint that he himself was not human when he discovered that he couldn't see his ''own'' soul. Blackrock was able to use the Onyx source code to take control of the ''[[Ark-7]]'' after the Autobots brought one of his devices onto their ship, and granted him the ability to shut down most of the ship's systems. {{storylink|The Nothing Man}}

[[File:ItsBeginningToAndBackAgain-EarthEnigma.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it.]]

By the time that Blackrock had been fully unmasked as a Cybertronian imposter, Optimus Prime led a team to storm Galvatron's [[Nemesis (G1)|underwater base]] and Galvatron revealed the full extent of the Enigma's power. With billions of interlinked Onyx devices scattered across Earth, their combined power created a gigantic Enigma of Combination, and a force that that Galvatron could control to his own benefit. He did just that, first breaking Victorion apart and then mish-mashing some of the combatants together to create [[Galvatronus (CW)|Galvatronus]] and [[Sky Reign]]. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|It's Beginning To And Back Again}} 

The power of the Enigma was resisted by Superion, who hadn't been created through its energies, and he ultimately found a way to nullify its power. By hacking into the Onyx Interface, copying part of its workings into his neocortex, and splitting into the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]]s as he did so, he "erased" a vital part of the code, nullifying the power of the Earth-Enigma so long as he never reformed. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|As Above... So Below}}

Determined to discover the information that the brain-dead Swindle had on Starscream, [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] ordered Rattrap to bring him the Enigma so the Combaticons could see inside Swindle's mind, {{storylink|Things We Said We'd Never Do}} uniting the five into the destructive [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. {{storylink|The Line Between Us}} In the aftermath, [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]] demanded that Starscream turn over the Enigma to him, noting it had wandered off too many times to cause mayhem. Starscream was hesitant about parting with his most powerful weapon but the conversation was interrupted before the two could continue. {{storylink|Ping}}

[[File:Ceremony SoundwaveUsesEnigma.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5]]
When [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] arrived at Cybertron, a desperate [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]] sought out the Enigma and proposed combining the entirety of Cybertron's population with their planet to fight off the Chaos Bringer. [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] overruled the idea however, noting that, even with the full might of the Enigma's mass-displacement abilities, the result would be too small to properly fight off their foe. {{storylink|Our Finest}}

When Cybertron was evacuated, {{storylink|Road's End}} Soundwave brought the Enigma with him to Earth. As part of the plan to defeat Unicron, Superion reformed, the Earth Enigma's energies surging throughout the planet once again, which Soundwave used in concert with the physical Enigma to make contact with the [[Transformer afterlife|Afterspark]]. Via [[Stardrive]], the spirits of the dead were psychically linked to Optimus Prime in [[infraspace]] allowing him to make peace with [[Unicron's creator]]. As a side-effect, the energies of the Enigmas repaired the badly damaged [[Victorion]], with [[Slide]] functioning as the combiner's new leg. The strain of the act proved too much for both Soundwave and the physical Enigma, however, and both crumbled into dust. {{storylink|Ceremony}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
When asked if the [[Infinite Combinatoric]] and the Enigma of Combination were connected, [[Vector Prime]] cryptically asked the questioner if there was "a connection between Jupiter and Odin and Ahura Mazda and Zeus and Marduk". {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime 16/7/2015}}

====''Prime Wars Trilogy marketing material''====
[[Ratchet (G1)#Prime Wars Trilogy marketing material|Ratchet]] was exposed to an "ancient artifact", giving him the power to combine. {{storylink|Ratchet (G1)/toys#BotCon2016|Customization class G1 Ratchet bio}}

====''Prime Wars Trilogy'' cartoons====
[[File:PWT_EnigmaOfCombination.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6]]
Created eons ago by [[Solus Prime]], the Enigma of Combination was responsible for the creation of many new Combiners on Cybertron during the later years of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], leading to the [[Combiner Wars (event)|Combiner Wars]] that followed. The [[Council of Worlds]] came into possession of the Enigma and considered using it to stem the conflict, either by creating more Combiners or destroying the existing ones. {{storylink|The Council}} [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] each learned of this and formed an alliance to stop the council's plans. {{storylink|The Fall}} {{storylink|The Duel}} {{storylink|Unforgotten}} As the council debated using the Enigma to control the Combiners, Optimus's team arrived and attacked, followed shortly thereafter by [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. {{storylink|Homecoming (CW)|Homecoming}} Devastator attempted to claim the Enigma for himself, battling the others and the newly arrived [[Victorion]] for it. With seemingly no choice left, the Council ordered Starscream to use the Enigma to take control of the combatants. {{storylink|A War of Giants}} Instead, he used it to merge himself with Devastator, Victorion, and the bodies of [[Computron (G1)|Computron]] and [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], becoming an unstable super-Combiner. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (CW)|Darkest Hour}} Upon Starscream's defeat, Megatron retrieved the Enigma and gave it to Windblade, who opted to leave it in Victorion's possession, claiming it rightfully belonged to the Combiners. {{storylink|Destruction's Dawn}}
[[File:AWarOfGiants Starscream plus combiners.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

While leaving Metroplex City, Optimus received a vision of the Enigma of Combination from the [[Matrix of Leadership]], leaving him to ponder things to come. {{storylink|The Fight Begins}} To combat the attacking [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], [[Victorion]] used the Enigma to merge with Computron, Devastator and Menasor, becoming a super-Combiner. {{storylink|Desperate Actions}} Ultimately, they were forced to separate again after taking too much damage from Trypticon. {{storylink|In Good Hands}} Sensing the Enigma in her possession, Trypticon swallowed Victorion and absorbed the Enigma's power, giving him immense strength and new abilities, such as the power to control Combiners. {{storylink|Consumed}} When Trypticon attempted to do the same with the Matrix, it rejected him, forcing him to release it and everything else he had swallowed, including the Enigma. Before Victorion could reclaim it, however, [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] appeared and surrounded them with a barrier of flame. After killing Optimus, Megatronus took the Enigma and Matrix for his own and departed in search of the [[Requiem Blaster (Megatronus)|Requiem Blaster]]. {{storylink|All Things Must Pass}}

As Megatron's group searched for the Blaster in [[Primal Swamp]], they ran afoul of [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]], who demanded the Enigma from Victorion and attacked when she failed to produce it. {{storylink|Volcanicus (episode)|Volcanicus}} Believing it would help him survive the apocalypse, it took Megatron himself pointing the Requiem Blaster at his face to convince him Victorion didn't have it, though the former Decepticon leader promised they would inform him if they found it. {{storylink|Primal (POTP)|Primal}} Elsewhere, in the [[Well of All Sparks|Well of Sparks]], Megatronus installed the Enigma and the Matrix into an unknown device. {{storylink|Without Warning}} Megatron eventually realized that Megatronus's plan was to use the Enigma to merge the Matrix and the Blaster into a single all-powerful weapon. {{storylink|Consequences}} Returning to the [[Well of All Sparks|Well of Sparks]], Megatronus installed the Blaster into his doomsday weapon and began siphoning the life force from every Transformer's spark. Perceptor attempted to remove the Enigma and the other relics, but his efforts proved unsuccessful as Solus Prime began to return. {{storylink|Collision Course}} A concentrated attack by [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]], [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] and Windblade led to the Enigma and Blaster finally being released from the machine. Megatronus attempted to grab them, but was tackled by the heroes. {{storylink|Megatronus Unleashed}} Predaking arrived soon after, still seeking the Enigma, but was quickly and violently dispatched by Megatronus. In the battle's aftermath, Perceptor took possession of the Enigma, studying and protecting it in his lab. {{storylink|Saga's End}}

====2019 IDW continuity====
[[File:ConstructiconsRisingPart1-Scrapper.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|]]
One of the [[Artifacts of the Primes]], {{storylink|Light/Star}} the Enigma of Combination was said to be made for Nexus Prime, an extension of his Primus given function to introduce necessary chaos into Cybertronian society to bring about change and prevent stagnation. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Enigmatic|Enigmatic}} When the Enigma came into proximity to a group of Cybertronians who were united in a purpose, it fostered their feelings of cooperation before allowing for physical [[Combiner|combination]]. In days long past, [[Terrorcon (G1)|a group of Cybertronians]] used the Enigma to turn themselves into a combiner. Lacking any unity or common goal however, [[Abominus (G1)|their combined form]] was an uncontrollable savage, governed only by the basest impulses of its components, rampaging across Cybertron before being felled at [[Rivets Field]].

Following the [[War of the Threefold Spark]], the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] discovered the Enigma buried beneath Rivets Field, [[Termagax]] suspecting it had been buried when the unstable combiner had been defeated, with the visionary pushing the six to become [[Devastator (G1)|a combiner]]. Years later, when the Constructicons had been exiled to [[Mayalx]], they reflected on their history with the Enigma, wondering if its code continued to influence their behaviour even now. {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 1}} Subsequently, the Enigma was entrusted to Termagax's care. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust I|Sea of Rust I}} 

[[File:Enigmatic SkytreadEnigmaEaten.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.6|Hopefully they don't combine into a Worm That Walks.]]
When the Constructicons were goaded by the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] to turn their combined form on Mayalx, [[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] wondered if they could do so without the Enigma, only for [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] to point out that they'd only needed it the first time they combined, opining that all it had done was impart the code for combination onto them. {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 4}}

After [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] conquered Iacon, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] attempted to barter information on the Enigma to the [[Decepticon leader]]. After Soundwave engaged in aggressive negotiations, {{storylink|War World: Awakenings|Awakenings}} Starscream revealed that the Enigma was in Termagax's care, Megatron dispatching the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] to find his [[mentor]]. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust I|Sea of Rust I}} When word of the hunt eventually trickled down to the lower ranks, who drunkenly discussed it at [[Swindle's]], [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] convinced Swindle to ensure word of the Enigma and the hunt reached Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Swindle's II|Swindle's II}}

Off in space, the amoral [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] and [[Airachnid (G1)|Airachnid]] conspired to forge their own versions of the Artifacts of the Primes aboard the colony of [[Hexagon]]. The Enigma's powers were replicated by Airachid's [[Combination Core]] which fused [[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]] and his [[Technobot (G1)|team]] into [[Computron (G1)|Computron]]. {{storylink|Light/Star}}

When a Seeker patrol and [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] both found Termagax, they respectively called in the [[Insecticon swarm]] and the Autobots to [[House (building)|House]] in the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]]. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust I|Sea of Rust I}} As fighting consumed the area, Termagax prepared to eject the Enigma away from anyone before [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] simply teleported into House and claimed the artifact. As he monologued about this victory, Jumpstream teleported in to steal it, leading to a teleport duel before the Enigma fell into [[Flywheels|Skytread]]'s hands. It was then that the landscape caved in, sending Skytread and the Enigma into the rust. Though Skytread was quickly devoured by the [[rust worm]]s, Termagax was confident that the Enigma had survived, with the Autobots worryingly noting that [[Nova Storm (G1)|Nova Storm]], if she was still alive, was likely capable of retrieving it. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Enigmatic|Enigmatic}}

===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
[[File:Grimlock-EngimaOfCombination-The Immobilizers.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
The artifact of Nexus Prime, the Enigma of Combination was buried with its master when he passed. The artifact passed into legend, though records of its abilities were preserved in [[Witwiki]]. When [[Grimlock (Cyberverse)|Grimlock]] and [[Arcee (Cyberverse)|Arcee]] grave-robbed the Tomb of Nexus Prime, the Enigma was among the treasures they stole, only to be left in their shuttle when they returned to Cybertron to find it time locked by the [[Mercenary|Mercenaries]]. When Grimlock used the shuttle to evacuate himself and his newly formed [[Dinobot (Cyberverse)|Dinobots]], the vessel being shaken about activated the Enigma, which combined the five into [[Volcanicus (Cyberverse)|Volcanicus]]. {{storylink|The Immobilizers}}
==Games==
===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
{{stub|{{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars}}}}

===''Angry Birds Transformers''===
{{stub|{{storylink|Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)|Angry Birds Transformers}}}}

===''Transformers Roleplaying Game''===
Traditional Cybertronian folklore holds that the Enigma of Combination was passed from Primus to Nexus Prime in ancient times; religious texts such as the [[Covenant of Primus]] sometimes offered contradictory explanations regarding its origins, and some Transformers believe that the Enigma was instead created by [[Solus Prime]].

The Enigma has no set physical appearance; at different times, it has manifested as an orb, a chalice, a staff, and various other geometric shapes. The Enigma contained the concentrated essence of cooperation in the same way that the [[Matrix of Leadership]] held the accumulated wisdom and valor of ages past; merely being exposed to its energies can spontaneously reconfigure the [[transformation cog]]s of Cybertronians into "C-State" cogs that allow them to combine with others. {{storylink|The Enigma of Combination}}

==Toys==
===''Combiner Wars''===
[[File:BotCon2016-EnigmaofCombination.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' ([[2016]])
{{toydesigner|[[Myu]]}}

:Class participants who finished creating their Ratchet toy in-class were given an exclusive Enigma of Combination accessory. As with the previous year's [[Covenant of Primus]], it was handcrafted by [[Myu]] who offered the accessory to class participants, but without any official Hasbro endorsements.

:This accessory can be held by any toy with 5mm ports; more interestingly, it can be used with the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations_toys#Combiner Wars|''Combiner Wars'' Optimus Prime]] toy, plugging into the combined form's chest plate. Naturally, this means that, if you so desire, you can give the Enigma to [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], or worse, [[Grand Scourge]]... but that would be ''evil'', and you'll have to spend the rest of your life living with the knowledge that you've disgraced the legacy of the Thirteen to achieve your own twisted, selfish ends.
{{-}}

===''Power of the Primes''===
[[File:POTP-Enigma-of-Combination.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Grimlock (G1)/toys#Power of the Primes|Dinobot Grimlock]] (Voyager Class, 2017) - '''Dinobot Enigma'''
*[[Starscream (G1)/toys#Power of the Primes|Starscream]] (Voyager Class, 2017) - '''Seeker Enigma'''
*[[Hun-Gurrr (G1)#Power of the Primes|Terrorcon Hun-Gurrr]] (Voyager Class, 2018) - '''Terrorcon Enigma'''
*[[Elita One (G1)#Power of the Primes|Elita-1]] (Voyager Class, 2018) - '''Autobot Enigma'''
*[[Inferno (G1)/toys#Power of the Primes|Inferno]] (Voyager Class, 2018) - '''Autobot Enigma'''
{{toydesigner|[[John Warden]] (Hasbro)|[[Robby Musso]], [[Emiliano Santalucia]] and [[Ken Christiansen]] (concept art), [[Marcelo Matere]] (packaging artist)}}

:Each ''[[Power of the Primes (toyline)|Power of the Primes]]'' Voyager Class figure comes with an Enigma of Combination. These are shaped like [[Titan Master]]s and [[Prime Master]]s, but are single-mold pieces and therefore can't transform into a robot or provide neck articulation if used as a head. They can interact with the Voyager Class figures by either attaching to their Prime Armor or attaching to their combined mode chest (excluding Inferno). They could also attach to Deluxe Class figures' Prime Armor, Leader Class figures' [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] frames or the head sockets of ''Titans Return'' figures.

:Each of the Enigmas has a different sculpt and color scheme, excluding Inferno's and Hun-Gurrr's, which share the same mold. Grimlock's "Dinobot Enigma" is the only one modeled after the artifact's standard design in fiction.
{{-}}

==Notes==
*When listing a handful of the artifacts of the Primes, the novel ''[[Transformers: Exiles|Exiles]]'' mentions the [[Infinite Combinatoric]]. Given the abilities its name implies, this ''might'' have been an early name for the Enigma. It wouldn't be the only point of confusing discontinuity between artifacts in ''Exiles''.
*Some combiners created or enhanced by the Enigma display unusual powers: Superion was able to split his body apart at will and swap legs into arms almost instantaneously, while Defensor was able to detach entire limbs and use them as rocket-propelled projectiles.
*Blackrock mentions that the Enigma can tap into the "primal force" of the universe to alter the mass of any given target, providing a tongue-in-cheek explanation for why [[Scale#Combiner characters|combiners tend to be several times the size of their components]].

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Enigma''' (エニグマ ''Eniguma'')


[[Category:Artifacts of the Primes]]
[[Category:Combination technology]]
[[Category:Generation 1 objects]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) objects]]
[[Category:Power of the Primes]]