Overwatch players uncover Echo’s broken headshot hitbox

The newest hero in Overwatch, Echo, is able to transform into any other character in the game, but it turns out she might not be able to protect herself as a new discovery highlights just how broken her hitbox is.

Echo is one of the most uniquely powerful heroes in the history of Blizzard’s hero shooter. Not only is her mobility among the very best, but the hero’s Ultimate can easily destabilize an enemy team in a matter of seconds. 

Perhaps the biggest downside to the newest hero, however, appears to be her hitbox, as players have uncovered how challenging it can be to actually avoid critical damage.

Echo only hit the live Overwatch servers on April 14 and the avid player-base is already scrutinizing the full-release version of the character, after weeks on the Public Test Region.

Heading into a custom game on April 16, Reddit user ‘airstrikexx’ scoped in as Widowmaker and got to testing the character’s hitbox. 

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It instantly became apparent that headshots were registering on Echo from a wider range than would normally be deemed acceptable. 

The sniper was able to one-tap the hero by placing a shot between the back of the Omnic’s head and the top of her wings. All without ever actually placing their crosshair on the character.

Another visualization showcased the heroes’ full hitbox from head to toe. It turns out that Echo’s critical box covers a radius around her entire head. This means that shots can land anywhere in the given radius, not just when connecting with the Omnic directly.

In moment to moment gameplay, Echo can be quite a difficult character to track and actually connect your shots with. 

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Her movement is often unpredictable and lining up a perfect shot can be a challenge. As a result, perhaps this hitbox design is intentional to allow for easier headshots. There’s no quite telling without comment from the developers.

Perhaps Echo’s hitbox will remain untouched moving forward, or maybe we’ll see this quirky design choice altered in a nearby update.

If you’re insta-locking Echo in all of your games though, be sure to check out our top tips so you can dominate the competitive ladder.