Overwatch's latest hero Echo can transform into any enemy hero on the battlefield
Blizzard gives the full reveal treatment.
Yesterday, Blizzard waggled its fingers dramatically and ripped back the veil to reveal Overwatch's 32nd hero, Echo, and today it's giving the full run-down of her abilities.
Echo, who was created by now-deceased Overwatch founding member Dr. Mina Liao (apparently in her own image), is described as an "adaptive artificial intelligence" with a specialisation in damage, but "versatile enough to fill multiple battlefield combat roles".
Echo can fly freely, glide while falling, and is able to surge forward as needed. Her primary attack is the Tri-Shot, which, as its name suggests, fires three shots at once in a triangular pattern, and that's supported by the Sticky Bomb - enabling Echo to launch a volley of adhesive projectiles that explode after a short detonation period.
She's also equipped with the Focusing Beam, which can deal very high damage to targets and barriers with less than half their health, but her most notable asset is her ultimate, Duplicate. This enables players to become any member of the enemy team and gain their abilities, including an extremely accelerated version of their ultimates. These duplicates, which will be visually distinct from the real heroes according to Blizzard's Jeff Kaplan in Overwatch's latest developer update, can remain in play for a "pretty significant period of time".
Kaplan acknowledges that Echo may be balanced back if her ultimate proves "too crazy" during PTR testing, which players are able to participate in from today. Kaplan also warns that the length of time required to test, balance, and bug fix a new Overwatch hero means Echo may remain on PTR for a "prolonged" period of time.
You'll find more specifics about Echo's abilities in the video above, and a more detailed backstory in the character's profile.