Echo

Echo
"It's good to be back."
Real Name	Echo
Status	Active
Age	Classified
Occupation	Multirole adaptive robot
Base	Switzerland (formerly) United States (formerly) Watchpoint: Gibraltar
Affiliation	Overwatch
Relations	Mina Liao (creator)
Voice	Jeannie Bolet (English) Françoise Cadol (French) Ranja Bonalana (German) An Soyeon (Korean) Adna Cruz (Brazilian Portuguese) Chifuyu (Japanese) Ye Zhiqiu (Mandarin (China)) Cinzia Massironi (Italian)
Cosmetics	Cosmetic page
Quotes	Quotation page
Role	Damage
Health	200

Echo is a Damage hero in Overwatch.

Overview

Echo is an evolutionary robot programmed with a rapidly adapting artificial intelligence, versatile enough to fill multiple battlefield combat roles.

Abilities

Glide

SPACE

Type

Passive Ability

Echo can glide while falling.

Move. speed:

Horizontal: +50% buff
Vertical: 4 m/s (down)

• Details

Ability details:

• Used by holding the Jump button.

Tri-Shot

Type

Weapon

Effect Type

Projectile

Echo fires 3 shots at once, in a triangle pattern.

Damage:

17 per pellet
51 per shot

Headshot:

✓

Rate of fire:

0.33 second recovery
(3 shots per second)

Bullets per shot:

3

Ammo:

12

Reload time:

1.5 seconds

Projectile speed:

75 meters per second

Sticky Bombs

6 seconds

Type

Ability

Effect Type

Projectile

Echo fires a volley of sticky bombs that detonate after a delay.

Damage:

6 bombs
Impact: 5
Explosion: 25
Self: 12.5

Headshot:

✕

Rate of fire:

1 bomb per 0.065 seconds

Cast time:

1 second (after stick)

Area of effect:

2 meter explosion radius

Projectile speed:

50 meters per second

Flight

LSHIFT

6 seconds

Type

Ability

Echo surges forward quickly, then can fly freely.

Duration:

3 seconds

Move. speed:

8 meters per second

• Details

Ability details:

• Can be manually cancelled by pressing LSHIFT again.
• Holding jump causes Echo to rise, while holding crouch causes her to descend.

Focusing Beam

E

8 seconds

Type

Ability

Effect Type

Beam

Echo channels a beam for a few seconds, dealing very high damage to targets with less than half health.

Damage:

50 per second
200 per second (on low targets)

Headshot:

✕

Duration:

2 seconds

Max. range:

16 meters

• Details

Ability details:

• Deals 4 times more damage if she is targeting something (including turrets or barriers) whose HP is 50% or lower.
• Can be manually cancelled by pressing the ability key again.

Duplicate

Q

1960 points

Type

Ultimate Ability

Effect Type

Targeted

Echo duplicates a targeted enemy hero and gains use of their abilities.

Cast time:

0.35 second activation + 1 second recovery

Duration:

15 seconds

Max. range:

40 meters

• Details

Ability details:

• Echo's HP instantly becomes the full base HP of her target.
  • Upon Duplicate ending, Echo returns to whatever health she was at when she used Duplicate. If she was below 100 hp, she will instead come out at 100 HP
• Echo copies the target's currently equipped skin.
• Echo's target cannot switch heroes for the duration of the ability.
• While duplicating, Echo charges her ultimate ability 6.5 times faster.
• When the duration ends, or if Echo's HP is reduced to 1, Echo reverts back to normal. Her HP returns back to what it was before, or 100 if her HP was less than 100.
• Reverting back to Echo interrupts whatever ability she was using.
  • Most deployed abilities disappear after 4 seconds. Sombra's Translocator, Mei's Ice Wall, Sigma's Experimental Barrier, Symmetra's Photon Barrier, and Zarya's Projected Barrier disappear immediately. Junkrat's Concussion Mine and RIP-Tire detonate immediately.
  • Damage-over-time and heal-over-time effects continue as normal. When Duplicate ends, most buffs applied by the duplicated hero are removed; this includes temporary HP given to teammates, except Repair Pack's armor (most likely because it is tied to a HoT effect). After 3 seconds pass, debuffs and Biotic Grenade's healing buff are removed.
• Echo cannot target another Echo (even if that Echo is duplicating another hero), or non-playable characters like B.O.B. or Training Bots.
• If Echo targets a D.Va pilot, Echo will still duplicate the mech.
• Echo cannot target behind enemy barriers.
• Echo can still use her own equipped voicelines and sprays while transformed, but not her or her target's emotes.
• Echo will use the user's key bindings, options and crosshair for the targeted hero while transformed.
• Echo can duplicate an ally in Overwatch Archives game modes.
  • In Overwatch Uprising, Echo can also duplicate a Null Sector OR14 or a Bastion Siege Automaton B73, becoming a standard Orisa or Bastion respectively.

Strategy

General Strategies

Strengths
As her occupation suggests, Echo is a flexible hero who can fit into many compositions and adapt to many situations. She can dive alongside her tanks, flank the backline, pelt her enemies from the sky, or focus her attention on busting enemy shields to free line of sight for her team. Thanks to her high omni-directional mobility, Echo can threaten from many positions and circumvent shields to poke at the vulnerable backline or pick off targets left weak by her teammates with her Focusing Beam.

Weaknesses
Hitscan heroes, such as McCree and Widowmaker, are Echo's biggest threat. Be careful with your Flight and Glide when there's a hitscan on the enemy team or you'll make yourself an easy target. Another vulnerable spot for her is how easy it is to put yourself into a poor position with Flight. Watch where you're flying and make sure to fall back into your team, to natural cover, or to a position where you can't easily be cornered and killed.

---

General Tips

• More than any other, Echo benefits greatly from understanding how to play other heroes. This knowledge is critical to getting the most out of Duplicate, and since Echo can utilize a lot of different playstyles - from flanking to diving - the familiarity with the play styles of the other heroes will help you adapt to any situation.

Flight

• Always cancel Flight as soon as you're done using it to begin the cooldown as quickly as possible.
• Flight is Echo's only means for survival. Do not use it frivolously, and avoid having it on cooldown right before engagements whenever possible.
• For positioning, you can often use Flight for a short time and then use Glide to reach your desired position. Go into custom games and practice using Flight and Glide in combination on the various maps.
  • Similarly, when returning from spawn, consider using Flight to launch yourself into the air and then cancel it and Glide so that your cooldown will be back by the time you return to your team.
• Use Flight to position yourself before using Duplicate to take surprise angles your duplicate-target might not otherwise be able to reach.

Focusing Beam

• Cancel your beam as soon as there are no more half-health or below targets to start the cooldown as early as possible. The damage dealt by Focusing Beam on targets above half health isn't good enough to warrant delaying the cooldown -- you'll do more damage via primary fire.

Sticky Bomb

• If you only land some of your bombs on a hero, you can use Focusing Beam to finish your target before they can heal.

Duplicate

• Be careful when using your ultimate at low-hp if you're under fire. You can be killed in the brief time you're transforming and you'll lose your ultimate.
• If possible, use your cooldowns before Duplicating to get some extra damage in. By the time you're out of Duplicate, your abilities will be refreshed.
• Duplicating tanks is often a good idea -- you get full HP when transforming and when reverting back to Echo. Tanks also have powerful game changing ultimates that are risky to charge, but when duplicating as Echo, you can be much more aggressive and quickly charge ults.

Positioning

• As a general guideline, Echo is typically best at fighting enemies from mid-range; her primary fire is harder to aim the further away she is, her Focusing Beam has a 16m range, and landing Sticky Bombs is easier.
• Be mindful of turrets. Torbjörn's turret has a long range and can be a serious threat to you if you boost out of cover. Symmetra's turrets are capable of even more DPS than Torbjörn's, and the slowing effect will make you easy to hit. Avoid charging blindly into areas you suspect are being covered by Symmetra.

Communication

• Like Pharah, Echo makes for an excellent scout due to her ability to get a bird's-eye-view of the battlefield. On many maps, Echo can fly high enough to peek over obstacles and get an idea of where the enemy team is grouping up/going to push through.
• If your Sticky Bombs seriously injure a target, but you can't follow-up with your Focusing Beam, call out the target for your team to follow up on

Match-Ups and Team Synergy

Tank

Hero	Match-Up	Team Synergy	Duplicating
D.Va	General: Out of all the tanks, D.Va poses the greatest threat to you. Her large critical zone makes headshots easy with your primary-fire, so hang back, pester her from the safety of your team, and charge your ultimate off her. Boosters: D.Va can easily chase you down, whether you're airborne or retreating, thanks to the swift cooldown on her boosters. Avoid flying too far away from your team or cover so that she can't easily corner you. Defense Matrix: D.Va can absorb your Sticky Bombs before they land, so only use them if D.Va is distracted or if she recently used her matrix. She has no defense against your Focusing Beam, though, except to run away. Self Destruct: Your Flight is your doom or savior against D.Va's ult. If you have it up, the boost and movement speed should be enough to get you to cover. But if you're already in Flight, cancel it and try to drop to the nearest cover. Your best bet is to predict when D.Va will ult and have your Flight at the ready.	D.Va is a very complimentary tank for Echo. You're both capable of large amounts of burst damage, so you should have no trouble securing a kill or two when you go diving. Follow her call and keep close to her so she can shield you with Defense Matrix.	A phenomenal pick for Duplicating. Her kit will feel similar to Echo's: high omnidirectional mobility via Boosters and excellent burst potential with Micro Missles. Defense Matrix is a great defense skill that can save your teammates from high damage abilities, enable aggressive diving, and negate some ultimates entirely. Self Destruct charges fast and is fantastic for laning or forcing the enemy off of the point/payload during Overtime.
Orisa	General: Though Orisa has no damage falloff, her weapon is a projectile and hard to aim against swift and aerial targets such as yourself. Orisa has a large hitbox and generous critical-hit zone, so once her barrier is down it should be easy pickings for your primary-fire and Sticky Bombs. Protective Barrier: The shape of Orisa's barrier is better at protecting from aerial attacks compared to Reinhardt's, so instead of trying to circumvent it: bust it. You're well suited to breaking through barriers, and you should prioritize doing so. Halt!: Orisa is more likely to target clusters of Heroes with her Halt! ability, but you may find yourself being pulled back while retreating or if you're flanking. Orisa can use Halt! to drop you into environmental hazards, so have Flight at the ready. Fortify: Orisa will often save Fortify until her shield is busted and on cooldown. Reserve your abilities while she's fortifying; focus on dodging and landing critical-hits with your primary fire. Supercharger: It's typically best to retreat and wait out Supercharger where possible, but when you can't, try and bust it quickly. If you can get an angle on it, a full volley of Sticky Bombs and a shot from your primary-fire will destroy it.	As a hero with a lot of mobility at her disposal, Echo prefers less anchored tanks than Orisa -- still, there is some synergy between the two. Orisa's Halt! combos very well with your Sticky Bombs, so coordinate with her pulls.	Orisa is a fantastic choice for Duplicating. Protective Barrier will boost your team's survivability and Supercharger will come up quickly, more than making up for the loss of Echo's personal DPS. Orisa is a common pick on maps with environmental hazards, so you might even be able to secure some instant kills with her Halt!.
Reinhardt	Reinhardt has very little he can do about you. You'll typically be out of his Rocket Hammer and Charge range and Fire Strikes will be difficult for him to land while you're airborne. His large hitbox makes Sticky Bombs and your primary-fire easy to land. Barrier Field: Echo is a great shield buster - help your team focus his shield, and as soon as you see cracks form, immediately follow-up with Focusing Beam to quickly break it. Fire Strike: Rein probably won't target you with Fire Strike, but if you're on the ground and notice him winding up for it, you can launch some Sticky Bombs at him while the shield is down and use the boost from Flight to get out of the way. Charge: You'll most likely not be in a position for Rein to charge you, but if you notice him beginning his charge, you can use the boost from Flight to get out of the way and begin to pelt him from the air. Earthshatter: Similarly to Charge, you probably won't be in a position for him to shatter you. Track his ultimate and make sure you aren't in his range. He'll have his shield down while following-up on his ultimate, so take advantage of this and focus him or pressure his teammates.	Echo has no notable team synergy with Reinhardt. When he uses Earthshatter, use your Sticky Bombs on one target and then focus on a another. Your Focusing Beam can be useful here, but don't hesitate to pick and kill a high priority target that isn't being focused by your team to make sure they don't make it out alive.	A phenomenal pick for Duplicating. You greatly increase your team's survivabilty with his Barrier Field, he does no small amount of damage with his hammer and Firestrike, his charge can potentially one-shot enemies and the stun can be used to interrupt ults. His Earthshatter charges incredibly quickly and can easily turn the tides of battle in your favor.
Roadhog	General: As a shotgun hero, Roadhog will struggle against you. Be careful, though: if you get in range, your hitbox is easy for him to hit. He has a very large hitbox, making your primary-fire and Sticky Bomb easy to land. Hang back, pester him at a range, and charge your ultimate off him. Chain Hook: Keep out of hook's 20m range and have Flight at the ready to either leap out of his attempt to hook you should he close in, or to escape being tossed into an environmental kill. Take a Breather: Roadhog will often wait until he's fairly low on HP before using breather. Try to immediately hit him with Focusing Beam once he reaches 50% or less. Whole Hog: Hog's ultimate only really poses a threat to you if you're inside tight quarters with him, or if your Flight is on cooldown. Use the boost from Flight to put distance between you or save yourself from an environmental kill.	Echo has no notable team synergy with Roadhog - be sure to assist Hog if he Chain Hooks a high-hp target.	Roadhog is a fantastic choice for Duplicating. You become very difficult to kill and get two forms of "one-shot" potential via his Chain Hook: either through the standard "hook > step forward > shoot > melee" combo, or by hooking and dropping someone off of the map. Since Roadhog is a common pick on maps with environmental hazards, his quick charging ult can also be used to throw enemies off the map. Outside of that, Roadhog's ultimate is a fantastic way to clear a point during overtime and it does no small amount of damage.
Sigma	General: Sigma's primary fire has decent range, so he can contest you if you get too close even while airborne. Experimental Barrier: Echo is a great barrier-breaker, and you should make busting Sigma's Experimental Barrier a priority. Accretion: Accretion is a very dangerous skill which will interrupt your Focusing Beam and make you an easy kill. Thankfully, your mobility will typically make it hard for Sigma to hit you with it. If you're on the ground and you see him targeting you with it, use Flight to boost away. Kinetic Grasp: Your Sticky Bombs are susceptible to Kinetic Grasp, so try to only use them when Sigma is distracted or they are already on cooldown. Gravitic Flux: If you're within the target reticle, the boost from Flight should be able to get you out of the area of effect. Sigma is unable to absorb your Sticky Bombs and primary fire while he's casting, so you can easily land hits on him.	Your Focusing Beam is a great ability to pair with Sigma's ultimate, Gravitic Flux. Use your Sticky Bombs and primary fire to pick off heroes caught in the lift, then use your Focusing Beam to finish off any targets that survive the slam.	Sigma is a great choice for Duplicate. You lose a lot of DPS, but the utility and survivabilty brought by his kit, combined with his powerful ultimate, make up for it. Between Accretion and Kinetic Grasp, Sigma is capable of denying a lot of ults.
Wrecking Ball	General: While he has a large hitbox, his mobility will make him a difficult target for you to hit with your primary fire and Sticky Bombs. Your best bet is to wait for him to be distracted or committed to a predictable movement pattern (e.g: while Piledriving). On the other hand, thanks to Flight you're a slippery target for Wrecking Ball. Be at the ready to help your allies when he dives your team. Adaptive Shields: Adaptive Shields will easily put Wrecking Ball out of the bonus damage threshold for your Focusing Beam AND ALLOW HIM A EASY KILL IF YOU GET CLOSE. Grappling Claw: Even with Flight, Wrecking Ball is a difficult foe to catch thanks to this skill. You can use the boost from Flight to easily avoid the impact damage dealt by a speeding Wrecking Ball, making it difficult for him to utilize his combo on you. Piledriver: With the boost from Flight, you can escape the area-of-effect, avoiding the considerable damage and CC effect. Minefield: When Wrecking Ball deploys his Minefield, you can easily escape the radius with Flight before they even finish arming.	Echo can dive along with Wrecking Ball and ensure his disruption results in kills. Enemies knocked into the air by his Piledriver can easily be stuck with Sticky Bombs, but in most cases the combined damage of his Grappling Claw and the Piledriver will put non-tanks into the bonus damage range of Focusing Beam. Wrecking Ball lacks any way to protect you, so make sure the enemy is distracted with him first before engaging.	A niche, but decent choice for Duplicate, assuming you are well acquainted with his playstyle and mechanics. You can cause a lot of chaos quickly with Wrecking Ball's kit, and in some cases you can knock enemies into environmental kills with his Grappling Claw. Minefield is great at denying a large swathe of the battlefield, and short of investing an ult of their own, there isn't much the enemy can do about it but clear away. Your ult will start charging as soon as your mines are activated. Note, however, that deploying more mines while the others are still active will replace the original mines.
Winston	General: Winston won't reliably be able to hit you with his primary-fire, and will likely prefer to leave you to his teammates. Don't get over confident, though, as he also possesses considerable mobility and can easily corner you if you put yourself in a bad position. He can also opt to leap towards you while you're airborne to briefly get in range and deal some damage to you. Barrier Projector: Winston will often deploy this as he dives one of your teammates. This allows him to dodge in and out of his shield to reduce damage taken and it also blocks line of sight for your supports. You can quickly burst Winston's bubble, opening sight lines for your healers and putting Winston at great risk from the rest of your team. Jump Pack: Though not quite as powerful as your Flight, Winston's Jump Pack still provides him with generous mobility. If you're going to position away from your team or take a highground position, try to make sure that Winston is committed elsewhere or wait for him to use his his Jump Pack first so he can't easily dive you.	Winston is a very complimentary tank for Echo. Since he relies on sustained damage, your bursty kit is a welcome addition when he goes for a dive. Follow him in and help him secure kills.	A mediocre choice for Duplicate in general, though there are circumstances that can warrant it. You trade a ton of DPS for some survivability and a decent barrier. His ultimate will come up incredibly quickly thanks to his primary fire being area-of-effect. Situations where you might want to Duplicate Winston are when there is an environmental hazard that you can toss them into, you need to push a few enemies clear of the point/payload, or you're trying to stall for as long as you can.
Zarya	General: The boost from Flight will easily get you out of Zarya's primary-fire range, and you'll generally be a hard target for her secondary-fire as well. Though she's the smallest tank (barring Pilot D.va), she should still be easy for you to hit with Sticky Bombs and your primary-fire. Particle Barrier & Projected Barrier: Zarya's barriers can absorb all of your Sticky Bomb damage. Additionally, low health targets bubbled by Zarya are no longer considered to be low health for Focusing Beam, so if she barriers your target either turn your beam on another low HP hero or turn it off. Be more methodical with your Sticky Bombs while Zarya has her barriers ready, to avoid feeding her unnecessary charge.	Zarya is a great tank to combo with Echo. Not only can she enable you to be more aggressive with her Projected Barrier while in Echo form, her bubble is a great asset while you're Duplicating since the enemy team will focus you to end your ult as soon as possible. Your Sticky Bombs and Focus Beam benefit greatly from her ultimate and are great follow-ups on their own. Zenyatta and Lucio's ultimates are still able to counter you though, so plan ahead.	A phenomenal pick for Duplicating, but one that carries its share of risk. While she has one of the strongest ultimates in the game, you need to be able to build up energy from your first uses of her bubbles to stand a chance at charging it. Be mindful of opposing shields, or ensure your team is capable of pushing you past them before duplicating her. Graviton Surge doesn't end immediately upon exiting Duplicate, and you can even follow-up on your own grav by using Sticky Bombs and Focus Beam.

Damage

Hero	Match-Up	Team Synergy	Duplicating
Ashe	General: As a hitscan, Ashe can be considered one of your counters. Be careful when using Flight and Glide in her sight lines or you'll be an easy target. You should generally leave her to your teammates, but she is a relatively stationary hero, so you can lob Sticky Bombs to pressure her. If Ashe is out of position or doesn't have support, approach from an unexpected angle until you're close, then use the boost from Flight to dive her. You should be able to land some Sticky Bombs and burst her down. Dynamite: You should be able to avoid the Dynamite as long as you know it's coming. Once Ashe throws it, quickly boost in a direction with Flight, as most Ashe players will trigger the dynamite while it's still airborne. Coach Gun: You can easily chase down Ashe with Flight if she's positioned too aggressively or unsupported. Coach Gun does a fair amount of damage up close, so if you plan on diving Ashe with Flight, it may be worthwhile to wait for it to be on cooldown. B.O.B: You should be able to avoid B.O.B's charge if you know he's coming, but if you're in Flight, B.O.B will make short work of you should he decide to target you.	Ashe provides reliable range damage, an area Echo isn't very strong in. Ashe can also cover for Echo by focusing other hitscan. With your mobility, you can quickly reposition to Ashe if she needs help with an enemy flanker. Focusing Beam is a great follow-up for a well placed Dynamite.	Ashe is a great choice for Duplicate. With Dynamite, you can quickly charge B.O.B, whose as tanky as a raging Winston and whose damage output rivals Soldier: 76. Ashe can charge her ult while B.O.B is still deployed, meaning you can summon B.O.B again when he dies, gets low on health, or simply because you want to reposition him. B.O.B also lingers for a time even after Duplicate ends.
Bastion	General: Bastion can be considered one of your counters. Regardless of whether or not it's in recon or sentry mode, it poses a great threat to you even while you're airborne. Its primary-fire in recon mode is an accurate hitscan weapon and with damage rivaling Soldier: 76. While in sentry mode, Bastion is an even greater threat, as it gains accuracy as it fires. On the other hand, Bastion is a very large target in recon mode, and completely stationary while in sentry mode, making it an easy target for your primary-fire and Sticky Bombs. Your burst damage is very useful in taking Bastion out if you can get the drop on it. Since you'll rarely find Bastion unshielded, it's worth talking about what to do against the compositions that commonly feature it: Bunker and Pirate Ship. First, an important note: Barriers prevent you from using Duplicate, so you have to bust or by-pass the bunker's barriers to even use your ultimate. If your team is opting to dive Bastion, follow your tanks closely and dive in with them. If the enemy is running Baptiste, keep your Sticky Bombs handy so you can immediately lob them at his Immortality Field. If your team isn't running a composition capable of quickly closing the distance with Bastion, look for opportunities to flank behind their shield. If you can get within 16m behind the enemy shield, lob your Sticky Bombs at Bastion and immediately follow-up with Focusing Beam. Bastion's supports won't be able to out-heal the damage unless Bastion is using self repair at the same time.	Not the best pair. If you're with a Bastion, you're probably in a Bunker-style composition. If the enemy dives your Bastion with a D.Va, get to an angle where her Matrix won't absorb your Sticky Bombs and destroy her Mech quickly. Focus down Barriers to free line of sight for your Bastion. You can also play as a flanker, picking or distracting their supports.	A situational pick for Duplicate. On paper, trading Echo for the highest DPS hero in the game is great idea. In reality, getting a Duplicate on Bastion is difficult since it will have Barriers protecting it. If you Duplicate a Bastion while in it's line of sight, it can knock you out of your ult before you can even act. To get value out of a Bastion Duplicate, you'll need to clone Bastion either from behind your own barriers, or utilize your mobility to take unexpected angles. Its ultimate is not worth using, unless you need burst damage (e.g: vs Zenyatta's ultimate) or you've depleted it's ammo.
Doomfist	General: Doomfist can't do much about you unless he catches you unaware. His primary fire's spread is much too wide to pose any real threat to you while airborne. Listen carefully when fighting against Doomfist as his abilities all come with loud audio cues. Flight will easily take you of his ability range, so make sure to have it available if you're anywhere near him. Rocket Punch: You can linger at an off-angle to where Doomfist is likely to push your team from and wait for him to begin charging his punch, which leaves him vulnerable to your Sticky Bombs. Rising Uppercut: The arc of this ability leaves him vulnerable to your Sticky Bombs. Meteor Strike: If Doomfist uses his ultimate aggressively, use Flight to get out of its area-of-effect and then lob Sticky Bombs at him while he's locked into the landing animation.	Echo has no notable team synergy with Doomfist.	Doomfist is a great choice for Duplicate. He has a lot of one-shot potential and mobility, and you can play much more aggressively than a standard Doomfist. Meteor Strike will charge quickly, as fast as one use of Rocket Punch. Using Flight before duplicating him will set you up for a powerful Seismic Slam.
Genji	(To be added)	Echo has no notable team synergy with Genji.	A subpar choice for Duplicate in most situations. While Dragon Blade has the potential to be quite powerful, this is usually a result of other teammates enabling it with abilities like Ana's Nano Boost, a Mercy pocketing with damage boost, or a bubble from Zarya. There are often much more consistent options for Duplicate on the enemy team.
Hanzo	(To be added)	Echo has no notable team synergy with Hanzo.	A subpar choice for Duplicate in most situations. While Dragonstrike is a strong laning ability and can combo well with other ults, there are often much more consistent options for Duplicate on the enemy team.
Junkrat	(To be added)	Echo has no notable team synergy with Junkrat. You're both capable of high amounts of burst damage, but you lack reliable ranged damage.	A decent choice for Duplicate, but one that may involve a lot of high risk for reward. He has a lot of burst damage potential and Rip Tire is a fairly strong utlimate, but the viability of the swap depends on a lot of factors: do you have the element of surprise? how many shields are you contending with? Can you swap at an angle where you can get easy hits with his primary fire to build his ult?
File:Icon-mccree.png McCree	General: As a hitscan, McCree can be considered one of your counters. Be careful when using Flight and Glide in his sight lines or you'll be an easy target. Flashbang: Always keep your distance while he has his flashbang. If you plan on diving him, make sure he doesn't have it available first or he'll make short work of you. Deadeye: Be extra cautious with your Flight and Glide while McCree has his ult. It doesn't take long for him to charge Deadeye on a 200hp hero, and if you're out in the open he'll probably be able to pull it on you before you can fall back to cover. He is practically stationary while his ult is primed, so you can peek to launch Sticky Bombs at him.	McCreee provides reliable range damage, an area Echo isn't very strong in. He can also cover for Echo by focusing other hitscan. Help him secure kills on targets he has Flashbanged and use your Focusing Beam to finish off any enemy his Peacekeaper has brought to half-health.	McCree is a great choice for Duplicate. You should be able to use a handful of Deadeyes before your ult ends. Positioning ahead of time with Flight can get you to some interesting spots McCree isn't normally capable of getting to.
Mei	General: Your Flight ability makes you a difficult opponent for Mei. The boost alone will typically get you out of Mei's primary fire range and it is hard for Mei to hit aerial targets with her secondary-fire. Cryo-Freeze: Mei can use Cryo-Freeze to protect herself from your Sticky Bombs. However, if Mei uses her Cryo-freeze first, you can use your Sticky Bombs right before it ends. If timed properly, the bombs will detonate before she can move out of their range. Ice Wall: Your Sticky Bombs can do 200 damage to an Ice Wall segment, and you can follow up with Focusing Beam to quickly break through. In most cases, if Mei tries to isolate you, your Flight should be able to get you to safety. Blizzard: The boost from Flight should be more than enough to get you out of Blizzard's range.	Your damage output will off-set Mei's intermittent damage, but be aware that this combo lacks reliable ranged damage. The slowing effect from Mei's primary-fire is a fantastic aid for you, making it easy to hit with your own primary-fire and land Sticky Bombs. With your Focus Beam, even the healthiest of heroes that Mei has isolated with Ice Wall will be unlikely to escape. During Blizzard, consider using Sticky Bombs on 200-hp target and then using a combination of Focusing Beam and your primary fire on a high-hp target, such as a tank. The Sticky Bombs alone will guarantee the death of the 200-hp target.	Mei is a solid choice for Duplicate. Ice Wall is a great ability for denying sight lines for hitscan heroes and healers, Cryo-freeze can be used to avoid high-damage abilities and will quickly charge her ultimate, which can easily turn the tides of battle in your favor. Additionally, Blizzard lingers even after you return to Echo form.
Pharah	(To be added)	(To be added)	(To be added)
Reaper	General: As a shotgun hero, Reaper will struggle against you. Be careful, though: if you get in range, your hitbox is easy for him to hit. Pester him from a distance and be ready to assist whoever he targets. Since you have burst damage, Reaper won't be able to out heal your abilities with his passive. Wraith Form: His Wraith Form will prevent you from Duplicating him and drop your Sticky Bombs to the ground. However, it can be dangerous for him to use his Wraith Form, too: if he uses it before you've used your Sticky Bombs, you should have an easy kill if you watch him closely. Once he raises his arms, Wraith Form is ending and you can Sticky Bomb him shortly after. If Reaper wraths behind you it will be an easy kill for him unless he is on low helth.😁 Shadow Step: If Reaper is in line-of-sight, you can easily Sticky Bomb him while he's teleporting. Look for the reticle indicating his destination and deploy your Sticky Bombs. Death Blossom: The boost from Flight should get you out of Death Blossom's effective range. Once you're safe, hit him with Sticky Bombs and follow-up with Focusing Beam if necessary.	You can make up for Reaper's lack of ranged damage, somewhat. Both of you have high burst damage potential and pose incredible risk to enemy Tanks. Reaper is hardier than you, so let him approach first and assist whoever he targets.	Reaper is a great choice for Duplicate. He has higher DPS than Echo, strong survivability via Wraith Form and his passive, The Reaping, and a deadly ultimate. While you can be more aggressive than a normal Reaper, especially when it comes to your ult, watch out for the common threats to Death Blossom: Ana, Brigitte, McCree, Roadhog, Sigma, and Sombra all possess ways to interrupt your ult.
Soldier: 76	(To be added)	(To be added)	(To be added)
Sombra	General: Sombra is a difficult opponent for you. Though she's not a true hitscan, her Machine Pistol has a decent spread and falloff that enables her to contest you even while airborne. Opportunist: Avoid remaining at low HP with Sombra around - her passive will help her track you down. Hack: Since you rely on abilities, Hack poses incredible threat to you. Avoid getting within 15m of Sombra, and if you hear her Hacking you, quickly boost away with Flight. You might not get out of hack's range before it lands, but the boost will put some welcome distance between you. Stealth: It's very difficult for you to find a Sombra in Stealth without seeing her enter it. Your best bet is sweeping with your Focusing Beam, but it's better to leave the job to your teammates. Translocator: An aggressive Sombra can use her Translocator to chase you, or toss it up to target you with Hack while you're airborne. If you see Sombra translocate away, however, you can watch the light trail to determine which direction she retreated to and consider taking the fight to her. EMP: Do your best to track and predict EMPs so that you can position away from your team and avoid being caught in the hack.	Sombra lacks any additional sources of damage and relies on sustained DPS, so your bursty kit is a welcome addition to a team running Sombra. Stay by your team and be ready to focus down whatever hero she disables with Hack. Her passive, Opportunist, makes for a great combo with Focusing Beam. Sombra can call out enemies below 50% health and hack them to help Echo get picks.	A niche choice for Duplicate and generally inconsistent. If the conditions are right--you can duplicate her in a good position, such as an off-angle not easily blocked by cover/shields, there aren't any heroes who can immediately punish you/they used their mobility cooldowns--she can be phenomenal since EMP is the 2nd fastest charging ultimate and quite powerful. But it's important to note that while the ultimate of the hero is a primary factor in Duplicating, their basic abilities are still important and Sombra only really possesses ONE skill usable in combat: Hack. Careful planning is therefore required before you Duplicate her. You need to be able to land hack and farm a target for quick EMP.
Symmetra	(To be added)	Echo has no notable team synergy with Symmetra.	There is certainly better Duplicate targets on the enemy team. Symmetra doesn't provide enough DPS to be worth it. Teleporter is rarely useful mid-combat, and her turrets - while capable of dealing a lot of damage - are very vulnerable.
Torbjörn	(To be added)	Echo has no notable team synergy with Torbjörn.	Torbjörn is a solid choice for Duplicating. His ultimate is a great area-denial ability, and it as well as his Turret will linger after Duplicate ends.
Tracer	General: Tracer will have a hard time dealing with you if you're airborne, but if you get in range of her, your hitbox is easy for her to hit. On the other hand, Tracer's small hitbox and mobility will also make it difficult for you to land hits with your primary fire and Sticky Bombs. You're probably best leaving Tracer to your teammates, but with your high mobility you can quickly reposition to teammates being flanked by Tracer and help peel for them, so be on guard. Note that her smaller health pool means you can activate Focusing Beam earlier than you normally would on other heroes. Recall: Ideally, you want to avoid using your Sticky Bombs or Focusing Beam while Tracer has Recall ready, as she can use this to waste either cooldown. Once she recalls, you are free to commit either cooldown. If you're prediction is good enough, you can even Sticky Bomb her when she reappears.	(To be added)	Tracer is a fantastic choice for Duplicating, but she's very much "high risk, high reward" - her low HP makes it easy for you to get KO'd and lose your ult, but if you're skilled with her kit and supported by your team, Duplicated Tracer can unleash hell. Her ultimate is already the fastest charging ultimate in the game and you're able to start charging another pulse bomb as soon as the previous one is no longer in the air.
Widowmaker	General: As a hitscan, Widowmaker can be considered one of your counters. Be careful when using Flight and Glide in her sight lines or you'll be an easy target. If Widowmaker is out of position or doesn't have support, approach from an unexpected angle until you're close, then use the boost from Flight and dive her. You should be able to land some Sticky Bombs and burst her down. Grappling Hook: Even with her Grappling Hook, you should be able to keep up with Widowmaker thanks to Flight. If the Widowmaker grapples and cancels the hook to fling herself, begin to dodge so that you don't get headshot. Venom Mine: These are usually planted along flanker routes leading to Widowmaker's position. Since you will likely be approaching Widowmaker more directly, you won't encounter as many mines. You should never engage Widowmaker after triggering her mine - retreat and heal before trying again. Infra-Sight: As with any hero; stay behind cover/shields until the ultimate ends.	There isn't as much synergy with Widowmaker as there is with other hitscan. Widowmaker provides reliable ranged damage, an area Echo isn't very strong in. Widowmaker can cover for Echo by focusing other hitscan, while with your mobility, you can quickly reposition to Widowmaker if she needs help with an enemy flanker. Though it's less common than with other hitscan, be sure to hunt down targets Widowmaker has left at critical health with your Focusing Beam.	There is certainly better Duplicate targets on the enemy team. Widowmaker is, arguably, the worst possible hero to Duplicate. Her ultimate, Infra-Sight, is not particularly useful especially since you're spending your ult to get it. Besides, if you can see a Widowmaker to duplicate, a battle is probably already underway and you don't need the scouting from her ult.

Support

Hero	Match-Up	Team Synergy	Duplicating
Ana	General: While Ana is scoped, her primary-fire is hitscan. Be cautious with your Flight and Glide unless Ana is under heavy pressure from your team, or you'll find yourself her target. She possess exclusively burst healing, and is very well suited to dealing with your bursty kit. She has one of the smallest hitboxes in the game, so your best bet to hit her is to either dive incredibly close to her and hit her with Sticky Bombs, or lob them at her while she's scoped in and distracted. Sleep Dart: It'll cancel your Focusing Beam in Echo form and getting hit with this nearly always results in your death. Thankfully, it's hard for her to aim at aerial targets. Avoid diving her if she has it available. Sleep Dart is also great counter to you during Duplicate, especially if you transform in mid-air or without a shield.	Ana can be a great healer for Echo, if your team is running dual "main healers". Since Ana is dividing her attention by healing you, another healer with high healing output is necessary to make sure the bulk of the team stays alive. With the right coordination, you can make for an excellent nano boost target. Echo herself can do some serious damage with the boost, but her ability to Duplicate other heroes is what really opens up synergy between you. Note: If Ana Nano Boosts you and you Duplicate, it immediately ends the Nano Boost and wastes it. This is why coordination is key!	Ana is a great pick for Duplicate. She has the highest healing output in the game, so if you're down a healer, swapping to Ana to fill the gap can be a viable strategy. Sleep Dart is a fantastic utility skill that can deny many ultimates or take key players out of the fight for a while. A well placed Biotic Grenade can single-handled turn the tides of battle in your favor. Nano Boost charges quickly and has a lot of flexibility - the healing effect can bring an ally back from the brink of death, the damage reduction can make one of your tanks very difficult to kill, and the damage boost can combo with an ult to transform it from simply damaging to devastating.
Baptiste	General: Baptiste's primary-fire is hitscan, so he can be considered one of your counters. He has burst, area-of-effect healing so he's better suited than most supports to handle your bursty kit. If Baptiste is out of position or doesn't have support, approach from an unexpected angle until you're close, then use the boost from Flight to dive him. You should be able to land some Sticky Bombs and burst him down. Immortality Field: You should prioritize taking out Baptiste's Immortality Field -- one volley of Sticky Bombs and a shot from your primary fire will destroy it. Regenerative Burst: Though Baptiste can handle your damage well when it's targeting his allies, he isn't so capable if it's targeting him. This is Baptiste's only method of healing himself and it's over-time. If you can get the drop on him, you should be able to burst him down. Amplification Matrix: It's best to head for cover while his ult is active. He can easily use the boosted damage to pick you out of the skies, so don't make yourself an easy target.	Synergy between Baptiste and Echo stems primarily from Baptiste's high damage output; one burst of Baptiste's Biotic Launcher, without headshots, will leave a 200-hp target nearly critical. With only one tick of the Beam or your Tri-Shot, the target will be in your Focus Beam bonus range. It's nigh impossible for Baptiste to heal you while you're airborne, so he'll likely leave your upkeep to his fellow healer. Be considerate and reposition to his location for healing if you need it. Your primary-fire and Sticky Bombs can both be boosted by his Amplification Matrix.	Baptiste is a solid choice for Duplicate. He doesn't trade as much DPS as other supports, but more importantly you get his Immortality Field, which is a great support skill that can single-handedly negate some ults. He has strong healing output, and his ultimate can boost it even further. Alternatively, Amplification Matrix can seriously boost your team's damage output if you have Heroes that can utilize it.
Brigitte	General: Brigitte has very little she can do about you. Stay out of her effective range and pelt her from a distance. She is an over-time healer, so she'll struggle to keep up with your burst damage. Barrier Shield: Brigitte's shield has barely any HP, so you can quickly destroy it to make her vulnerable and deny her the ability to use her Shield Bash. Repair Pack: If Brigitte sees you hit one of her allies with your Sticky Bombs, she can toss them packs to heal them out of critical health, preventing any follow up with your Focus Beam. Shield Bash: Brigitte can interrupt your Focusing Beam with this skill, and getting hit by it can easily mean your death. Keep away from her to avoid getting caught by it. Whip Shot: If Brig whip shots you into an environmental hazard, you can escape with Flight.	Brigitte's Armor Packs have a long range, so be mindful of your line of sight and distance with her, and in turn she can toss you packs while you're airborne, diving or flanking.	Brigitte is a solid choice for Duplicate. Armor Pack has a very long range limit, Rally is fairly strong and it will come up quickly. Make sure to position carefully and plan when you're looking to duplicate her. You want to be positioned in your team when you swap, and you need to do it when your team is capable of pushing with you, as Brig is effectively useless in poke-fights.
Lúcio	General: Lucio will have a hard time doing anything to you, and likewise, you'll have a hard time doing anything to him. Fast and small, he's a hard target to nail with Sticky Bombs or your primary-fire, and since his own primary-fire is a projectile, he will have an equally hard time hitting you. Lucio relies on heal-over-time, so he'll struggle against your burst damage. Wall Ride: You can lead Lucio while he's Wall Riding and hit him with some Sticky Bombs. Sound Wave: If he tries to push you into an environmental kill, you can escape with Flight. Sound Barrier: Wait it out or assist your team in focusing down a target.	Echo and Lucio have low synergy. You have generous mobility on your own, so you don't need his Speed Boost like some other DPS. You can keep tabs on his positioning and pick on targets that he displaces with his Sound Wave. It's nigh impossible for him to heal you while you're airborne, so he'll likely leave your upkeep to his fellow healer. Be considerate and reposition to his location for healing if you need it.	Lucio can be either a great or mediocre pick for Duplicate, depending on your composition. If you have a relatively stationary composition (For example: Orisa+Hog or your 2nd DPS is a Hitscan/Sniper/Bastion), it's probably best to Duplicate someone else. But if you have a composition that can benefit from his Speed Boost (For example: Rein+Zarya, Reaper), it's well worth it. Sound Barrier is a very powerful ult, capable of countering a number of ults and enabling aggressive plays by your team.
Mercy	General: Mercy will typically avoid you, but even in situations where she switches to her pistol, it is a projectile and hard to aim against mobile and aerial heroes such as yourself. While a high priority target, Mercy has a very slender hitbox, making her difficult for you to hit, as well. Guardian Angel: If Mercy's trajectory with Guardian Angel won't land her behind a barrier, you can lead her and land some Sticky Bombs. Resurrect: After your team secures a kill on one of her teammates, you should look to focus down Mercy if she goes in for a rez. She is nearly stationary while casting, so you should be able to land your Sticky Bombs. Valkyrie: Though you can chase a Valking Mercy with Flight, she gets boosted movement speed during her ult and it will be difficult to land hits on her, so it's probably best to ignore her unless your team is focusing her. While Mercy will generally use her ult to AoE heal or damage boost her team, she can opt to chase you down with her pistol. In these cases, it's likely best to drop back to your own team if she attacks you. Even if you land some Sticky Bombs on her, Mercy can quickly retreat with Guardian Angel.	Mercy is a great healer for Echo. Thanks to Guardian Angel, she can quickly reposition to you even while you're airborne to support you. Her damage boost makes a full volley of Sticky Bombs capable of one-shotting 200 HP heroes. Having an airborne ally is a great asset for Mercy, too, since she can retreat to you if she's being flanked.	Mercy is a decent, but situational choice for Duplicate. You lose a ton of DPS, but if you Duplicate her early enough in the fight, you can recoup the loss of one of your allies with Rez and potentially swing the battle back in your favor. The area-of-effect damage boost from Valkyrie can lessen the loss of Echo's DPS, but don't be too greedy - the AoE healing is powerful too!
Moira	General: Moira's secondary-fire has a long range on it, enabling her to pester you even while airborne. Make sure not to overextend into territory covered by Moira with Flight. She has a slender hitbox, making her a difficult target for your primary fire and Sticky Bombs. Biotic Orb: With a healing orb and her primary-fire, Moira can out heal your Sticky Bombs and easily heal up any splash damage it causes. If Moira catches you after you use your Flight, she can deploy a damage orb and latch onto you with her secondary-fire, possibly killing you before you can escape her range. Be mindful of her orb's cooldown. Fade: This skill will drop your Sticky Bombs to the ground, so if you're planning on ambushing Moira, wait for her to use Fade first. Coalesence: While Moira will typically opt to use her ultimate on her own team, it has a long enough range to hit you while you're airborne, so be ready to head for cover.	Moira's damage Biotic Orb can leave squishier targets within the threat range of your Focus Beam, but be aware that it's nigh impossible for her to heal you while you're airborne, so she'll likely leave your upkeep to her fellow healer. Be considerate and reposition to her location for healing if you need it.	Moira is a great choice for Duplicate. Her ultimate comes up incredibly quick and enables you to push aggressively into the enemy team or through an obnoxious choke.
Zenyatta	General: Zenyatta's lack of mobility makes him especially vulnerable to heroes like Echo. He should be an easy target for your primary-fire and Sticky Bombs thanks to his wide hitbox. His weapon is a projectile, making it difficult to use against you while you're at a distance or airborne. If you get close, Zenyatta's only hope against you is to end the fight quickly with with Discord + secondary-fire, killing you either before you can hit him with Sticky Bombs or before you could follow-up with Focusing Beam. Orb of Harmony: Zenyatta's healing is low, heal-over-time and incredibly weak vs your burst heavy kit. Orb of Discord: Zenyatta can prioritize you with his Discord Orb to help his teammates deal with you. If the enemy is running a hitscan, be extra cautious with your Flight and Glide.	Zenyatta is a great healer for Echo. As long as you keep in his line of sight, he's able to support you with his Harmony Orb. Zenyatta can quickly put 200-hp targets into Focus Beam range -- 2 standard hits + one tick of your Focus Beam or 1 headshot on a target under his Orb of Discord and the target will be in the bonus damage range. Make it your top priority to focus targets marked by his Discord, and use your mobility to scout for potential flankers and quickly reposition to help him.	Zenyatta is a strong pick for Duplicating. Discord more than makes up for the minor loss of DPS and Tranquility is one of the best support ults available.

Story

Echo is an evolutionary robot programmed with a rapidly adapting artificial intelligence, versatile enough to fill multiple battlefield combat roles, able to reconfigure herself on the fly (quite literally) to adapt to new situations. For the first time, Echo is seeing action as a full-fledged team member. But as she is exposed to new people, new ideas, and new situations without her creator to guide her, no one knows how she might evolve in the future.

Much of Echo's personality is based on Doctor Mina Liao, her creator. As she continues to adapt, free from the confines of a lab, those around her will decide whether Echo will remain an echo of her creator, or become her own person.

Origins

“	You are my life's work. You will be everything I dreamed.	„
	~ Mina Liao to Echo

Liao and Echo

The Echo Project was initiated by Overwatch scientist Doctor Mina Liao, who dreamed of improving upon the original omnic designs. Liao's firmly held belief in the potential artificial life and its power to transform the lives of humanity for the better formed the basis of the project. She talked with Commanders Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes, pitching the idea for an adaptive robot that could adapt to any niche an Overwatch strike team might need while in the field. Morrison, though reluctant to move forward with the idea, greenlit the project after Liao gave her word that it wouldn’t get out of hand.

Echo is activated

Due to Overwatch's restrictions on artificial intelligence research and development after the Omnic Crisis, Liao was forced to limit Echo’s capabilities. What she created was a multirole, adaptive robot that could be programmed to learn different functions: anything from medical support to construction: but had serious limits to its independent decision making. Critically, Echo had multiple layers of protections, failsafes, and security to keep it under control. Echo was used successfully on test missions alongside Overwatch strike teams, but Overwatch leadership was reluctant to put it into full service.

Awakening

However, the truth was that Liao had programmed Echo with a powerful, general artificial intelligence that learned by observation. After thousands of hours in the scientist's presence, much of Liao’s behaviors (including her speech), were adopted by the Echo robot. This secret that was known by very few, including Blackwatch agent Jesse McCree, who had, at times, been assigned to guard the scientist. The more Echo evolved, the more she really adapted to all of her team members that she was around all the time—watching them, learning to do what they did, the way they did it. Echo's ability to modify her behaviors, reconfigured herself, and learn from those around her made her the ultimate mission aide and a potential liability, as her sentience developed and she began to question her place in the world.

When Liao was killed in attack on an Overwatch facility, Overwatch's leadership was reluctant to continue pursuing such a dangerous project without its progenitor. Fears existed as to the robot's adaptive learning personality. All development on Echo was shut down, and the robot was placed into quarantine. After Overwatch shut down, the United States government took possession of the Echo robot.

Reunion

“	Hey there, cowboy. Welcome back, partner. Mmm...how long have I been gone? Far too long.	„
	~ McCree reactivates Echo

Echo is rescued by McCree

Years later, after a recall order initiated by Winston, Echo was being transported from Hurlburt Field to Davis–Monthan Air Force Base She was placed in a crate on a military freight train. However, the train was derailed by the Deadlock Gang, but they were incapacitated by McCree (who in truth, had manipulated the gang's leader into derailing the train in the first place). He then proceeded to reactivate her. Echo was unaware of how much time had passed, and was taken aback to see that McCree's left arm had been replaced by a cybernetic graft. He evaded telling her the details, but informed her of Winston's recall of Overwatch agents, that while he'd been summoned, she was the one that Overwatch needed. He then departed on a hoverbike, saying that he had some business of his own to attend to.

Zero Hour

“	Hello Winston. Echo!	„
	~ Echo and Winston reunite in Paris

Echo flying above Paris

When Null Sector attacked Paris, Echo was among the former Overwatch members who turned up at the city to repel the attacking omnics. Flying above the battlefield, she was able to take out scores of Nullifiers with her sticky bombs, and later, distracted the Null Sector Titan, evading its missile barrages. The Titan was destroyed and Null Sector's attack thwarted, leading Winston to declare that Overwatch had returned. Echo took her place among the team, this time, as a full-fledged member.

The Battle of Rio

“	Echo, checking in from the shuttle. Looks like you have Null Sector's attention. I'm tracking them...coming under heavy fire!	„
	~ Echo

Echo pilots the team's shuttle

When Null Sector attacked Rio de Janeiro, Echo flew the team's shuttle. She provided support to Tracer, Reinhardt, Mei, and Lúcio as they fought their way through the city's streets to the Null Sector command ship. The ship was destroyed, and Echo brought the shuttle around, allowing the strike team to board it through its rear hatch while hovering in the air.

Achievements

Note: While playing as Echo, it is possible to earn achievements for other heroes while Echo is using Duplicate.

Name	Icon	Description	Reward
Focused		Earn 2 killing blows with a single use of Echo's Focusing Beam in Quick or Competitive play.	Pixel
Adaptability		Use 2 other heroes' ultimates as Echo without dying in Quick or Competitive play.	Cute

Trivia

Early concept art of Echo, then named Iris

Echo Good vs Evil skin concept art

Echo Good vs Evil skin concept art

Echo Kkachi skin concept art

• Echo is Hero 32 and the eleventh new hero and the final hero added to the game before Overwatch 2.
• Echo was inside the payload in Route 66 (although she could not be seen). She was later removed alongside the release of the Reunion animated short.
• Her original concept name, Iris, may be related to The Iris, a concept connected to omnics.
• Her concept design appears alongside other heroes in the holovid on display at the Overwatch Museum during the Overwatch cinematic trailer.
• Echo's 'face' is a holographic projection. This would allow her a wide degree of facial expressions, similar to other robots like Snowball as opposed to omnics, who are generally more static in their facial expression.
• Some of her voice lines use Singlish phrases, which is an English-based language in Singapore, where Mina Liao is from.
• Echo is the most advanced piece of technology in the setting.

Development

Pre-release

Early concept art of Echo, then named Iris

Echo, initially named Iris, was first conceived as a hero for the pitch meeting for Prometheus, which became Overwatch. Her initial design was taken from unused Project Titan concept art, and she was one of the marquee heroes prominently featured in the Prometheus "hero lineup" key art. In the original Prometheus pitch deck, she had the following abilities: Particle Beam, Speed Boost, and Shield.

In early concept art for Echo, her design featured both the Athena and Vishkar Corporation logos at different points, but they were only added to fill in empty spaces on the design and did not accurately reflect her lore. The design was seen in the intro cinematic for Overwatch, where she was depicted as being a cyclopean omnic.

According to Jeff Kaplan, Echo is a very important character and a large story is going to unfold that involves her. Though choosing to remain vague, he indicated in 2019 that the development team was very interested in making her a playable hero.

In October 2019, Echo was seen among other heroes in leaked Overwatch 2 artwork. During the 2019 BlizzCon, she is shown in the cinematic trailer for Overwatch 2, Zero Hour.

In March 2020, she was announced to be the 32nd playable hero in the game.

Audio

Echo has over 750 voice lines, accounting for both her own lines, and duplicated lines from other characters. The developers started with some key words and phrases. Geoff Garnett was told that she should sound like a fighter jet, per her being the most advanced tech in the setting as an adaptive robot. Servo sounds were avoided, as it was deemed that they wouldn't fit her aesthetic. There was a collaboration between the game team and the cinematics team to determine what she was going to sound like in Zero Hour.

Once her cinematic feel had been defined, the team’s challenge became how they would take Echo’s fleeting appearance in a cinematic and expand it into a medley of audio bites? This included the issue of "floating footsteps" (as in, to alert other players that she was nearby in-game), and how the voice lines of other characters would be represented through her duplication ability. For the former, Garnett chose tonal, whiny noises that sounded like a footstep presence, rooting her as being physical, but sounding less physical as she got further away.

After nailing down the core aspects of Echo's sound palette, Garnett then addressed the implementation of her voice acting. As an adaptive robot who can replicate the likenesses and abilities of others, her voice lines opened an avenue of expression distinct from all of the game's other heroes. Scott Lawlor, the audio director of Overwatch, pitched an idea: What if Echo were to replicate not only the other heroes’ models and talents, but their voice lines, as well? While the Overwatch team was excited about the idea, it meant a formidable task lay before Jeannie Bolet, Echo's voice actress, who was responsible for nearly double the amount of voice lines spoken by the game's other heroes.

Balance Change Logs

Patch

Description

16 Jun 2020

Focusing Beam

• Range reduced from 20 to 16 meters

Developer Comment: Focusing Beam felt slightly too long-ranged given how lethal it has the potential to be. Echo may have to get a bit closer to utilize the ability but certainly has the mobility to do so.

19 May 2020

• Reduced the height of Echo's head hit volume

14 Apr 2020

New Hero: Echo (Damage)