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The latest 'Overwatch' hero can transform into enemy characters

Damage dealer Echo can fly too.

Echo, the latest Overwatch hero, is joining the ranks of the game's damage dealers with some nifty-sounding abilities. The AI robot's ultimate in particular will give players plenty of new scope for creativity -- when they activate Duplicate, Echo can adopt the form of an opponent's hero and use (or echo, geddit?) their abilities.

That's a game-changing ultimate that will shake up gameplay dynamics in many ways, especially because Echo can use the mimicked hero's ultimate too. Game director Jeff Kaplan said Echo will be visually and audibly distinguishable from other characters in a match when she adopts another hero's form. She can't become a clone of an enemy team's Echo, though.

Her main weapon is called Tri-Shot, which fires a trio of rounds in a triangle pattern. She can also deploy sticky bombs and a beam attack, which deals high damage to opponents and barriers with less than 50 percent health.

On top of all of that, she can briefly fly and glide back to terra firma. The latter is a little different from Mercy's glide mechanic, according to Kaplan, as Echo falls faster but can move more quickly horizontally.

PC players can try out Echo on the latest Public Test Realm patch, which is rolling out now. For the first time, you can add a bot version of any hero in the training range so you can practice replicating their moves.

Echo will be available in the full version of the game soon, possibly in a couple of weeks after the current Archives event wraps up. It's not clear as yet when she'll make her Overwatch League debut.