Echo’s Yokai drone can blast enemies with Sonic Bursts that inflicts heavy concussion effects on them, making it harder for them to see incoming defenders and messes up their senses in general. It doesn’t turn invisible anymore but in the hands of a capable Echo player, it could still be hard to spot and disable. 

With the rework on Echo making him a 2-speed 2-health operator, he’s now more versatile and can even be a roamer when the player wants to. Echo is known as a great intel gatherer and is excellent when it comes to crowd control, and that’s not just because of his Yokai drones. It’s also because he has great weapon and utility choices that go so well with his role.

5. Supernova with Reflex B, Suppressor, and Laser + P229 with Suppressor + Impact Grenade

This loadout setup is quite risky to use and is therefore the last in this list’s rankings, however, when applied well, especially with a player who’s really good at switching between observation tool mode and weapons, it can reap some high rewards. That’s because this is a roaming Echo setup with a shotgun. Now, Echo is famous for being an anchor, but since they made him a 2-speed 2-health operator, he’s become more viable as a roamer. And combined with the intel that he can gather with his Yokai drones, he’ll be a very effective roamer with a devastating shotgun.

That’s because he will have a good idea on enemy positions before he decides to engage them with his Supernova shotgun. He would also be able to disorient them before engaging, and that will greatly lessen their ability to retaliate. The suppressor is the only available barrel attachment to the Supernova so it makes sense to just equip it since it won’t have any drawback on the weapon anyway. And with the suppressor on the Supernova shotgun, your shots will be more silent and it’ll be harder for enemies to guess where you’re shooting from. The impact grenades on the other hand will allow you to create quick escape holes for when you need to run away from enemies.

Excels in:

• Having close range superiority due to the Supernova shotgun’s pellet spread and heavy damage per pellet
• Having a tight hip fire pellet spread on the Supernova shotgun because of the laser attachment
• Being able to rework the map to your team’s advantage with the Supernova shotgun’s high destruction profile per shot
• Creating rotation holes and quick escape holes through the use of the two impact grenades in Echo’s arsenal
• Shooting attacker drones and other gadgets with much less risk of alerting them through the use of the suppressed P229 handgun

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - Supernova with Reflex B, Suppressor, and Laser
• Secondary weapon - P229 with Suppressor
• Generic gadget - Impact Grenade

Hip fire spread test on the Supernova in this setup at 5m range:

Hip fire spread test on the Supernova in this setup at 10m range:

4. MP5SD with Scope 1.5x and Angled Grip + Bearing 9 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider + Deployable Shield

This is a really solid loadout setup for anchoring because the deployable shield will provide you with an extra cover, especially when you’re in observation tool mode operating your Yokai drones. The deployable shield is an excellent utility that will allow you to hold down an angle for a long time, especially when it’s supported by anti-grenade gadgets like Wamai’s or Jager’s. And when the enemies are closing in and you have to engage. The angled grip on the MP5SD will allow you to aim at them quicker.

The MP5SD has an integrated suppressor so its shots won’t have a muzzle flash and it won’t create a directional threat indicator of where its shots are coming from. Of course, its shots would also be silent, so it’ll be harder for enemies to guess where you’re shooting from, especially when they're some distance away from you. The scope 1.5x on the other hand is a great scope for Echo because it will provide him with a really good balance between zoom level and peripheral view. Its zoom level is just perfect for the distance where Echo would usually engage his enemies which is at close to medium-range.

Excels in:

• Being able to go into aim-down-sights quicker due to the speed boost from the angled grip attachment on the MP5SD
• Integrated suppressor on the MP5SD will allow Echo to shoot his enemies without providing them a directional threat indicator of where the shots are coming from
• Having another fully automatic weapon in the Bearing 9 machine pistol as Echo’s secondary and one that can take down enemies really quickly
• Having a great balance between zoom level and peripheral view especially at the distance where Echo usually engages his enemies through the scope 1.5x
• Providing additional cover for Echo or his teammates with the use of the deployable shield secondary gadget

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - MP5SD with Scope 1.5x and Angled Grip
• Secondary weapon - Bearing 9 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider
• Generic gadget - Deployable Shield

Recoil pattern test on the MP5SD in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:

3. MP5SD with Scope 1.5x and Vertical Grip + P229 with Muzzle Brake and Laser + Deployable Shield 

This is a really solid and classic loadout setup for Echo featuring a vertical grip on his MP5SD which will provide him with the best recoil control possible on the weapon. Echo is mostly an anchor operator who would usually have a great idea on enemy positions due to his Yokai drones. Therefore, most of the time, when he has his MP5SD submachine gun ready, it means he’s already expecting the enemy to appear in that particular direction where he’s aiming. That’s why it’s definitely okay for him to not have the aim-down-sights speed boost from the angled grip.

With the vertical grip instead of the angled one, the MP5SD will provide Echo with great precision and stability when shooting. As for the secondary weapon in this loadout setup, the P229 is one of the best handguns in the game, and is clearly underrated especially after they added the Bearing 9 machine pistol in Echo’s arsenal. But players really shouldn’t sleep on the P229 because it inflicts heavy damage per shot and it has a very controllable recoil. With a laser and muzzle brake for its attachments, it will be a frightening force when it comes to close range because Echo wouldn’t even need to go into-aim-down sight with it to be able to hit his enemies.

Excels in:

• Having the best recoil control possible on the MP5SD submachine gun due to the vertical grip attachment
• Providing Echo with a really good zoom level through the scope 1.5x without sacrificing a lot of peripheral view
• Having really good recoil control on the P229 handgun due to its muzzle brake barrel attachment
• Having a tight hip fire on the P229 handgun due to the laser attachment which makes it much more effective at close range
• Providing extra cover for holding down an angle or for hiding with the deployable shield when Echo is operator his Yokai Drones

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - MP5SD with Scope 1.5x and Vertical Grip
• Secondary weapon - P229 with Muzzle Brake and Laser
• Generic gadget - Deployable Shield

Recoil pattern test on the MP5SD in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:

2. MP5SD with Scope 1.5x and Angled Grip + Bearing 9 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider + Impact Grenade

I really only recommend this loadout setup on objective spots that offers a lot of cover. That’s because this setup prioritizes speed and damage more so than defense. As mentioned above, the angled grip will allow Echo to go into aim-down-sights faster than normal, therefore, he’ll be able to aim at enemies quicker. That is a great perk to have especially when responding to multiple enemies that Echo has spotted from his Yokai drones. The scope 1.5x will provide him with a good amount of zoom so that he’ll be able to hit his targets well.

Since both the primary and secondary weapons in this loadout setup aren’t capable of creating rotation holes, it’s important to run with the impact grenades, especially when the other defenders don’t have the utility for that purpose. The impact grenades will also be great for Echo in case he decides to go roaming or flanking, since with them, he’ll be able to quickly create escape holes for when he’s being hunted by the attackers, or destroy an unreinforced wall for flanking the enemies.

Excels in:

• Being able to go into aim-down-sights faster than normal due to the speed boost from the angled grip attachment
• Integrated suppressor on the MP5SD will allow Echo to shoot enemies without providing them a directional threat indicator of where his shots are coming from
• Shooting enemies or their gadgets silently through the use of the suppressed MP5SD and therefore poses less risk of giving away Echo’s location
• Having another fully automatic weapon in the Bearing 9 which has a very fast rate of fire and good amount of damage per shot
• Creating rotation holes or escape holes for setting up the objective spot or for escaping when Echo is being hunted down by enemies

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - MP5SD with Scope 1.5x and Angled Grip
• Secondary weapon - Bearing 9 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider
• Generic gadget - Impact Grenade

Recoil pattern test on the MP5SD in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:

1. Supernova with Reflex B, Suppressor, and Laser + Bearing 9 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider + Deployable Shield

This loadout setup may be pretty hard to use for beginners but it’s the best for Echo because it provides him with the most versatility, and for beginners who are reading this, I encourage you to get used to using a shotgun as your primary weapon when a machine pistol like the Bearing 9 is available as your secondary. That’s because with this kind of setup, you can have your Bearing 9 machine pistol at the ready when you want to frag enemies at distances that are beyond the shotgun’s reach, and a machine pistol is like a mini submachine gun anyway.

So you can think of it as the Bearing 9 being your primary weapon since it’s fully automatic, inflicts a good amount of damage per shot, and can be reloaded fast. Meanwhile, your Supernova shotgun will be great for reworking the map to your advantage through the creation of rotation holes and more lines of sight. Of course, the Supernova shotgun will also give you the superiority during close-range engagements. The laser on the shotgun will tighten its hip fire spread so that in many cases you won’t even need to go into aim-down-sights stance with the Supernova shotgun to be able to down enemies faster.

Excels in:

• Being able to rework the map to your team’s advantage with the high destruction profile per shot from the Supernova shotgun
• Having close-range superiority due to the pellet spread and heavy damage per pellet from the Supernova shotgun
• Tight hip fire from the Supernova shotgun due to the laser attachment allows Echo to hit enemies with it without even having to go to aim-down-sights stance
• Having a secondary weapon that is fully automatic, has a fast rate of fire, and good amount of damage per shot in the Bearing 9 machine pistol
• The deployable shield providing extra cover for holding down an angle and for protecting Echo when he’s operating his Yokai drones

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - Supernova with Reflex B, Suppressor, and Laser
• Secondary weapon - Bearing 9 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider
• Generic gadget - Deployable Shield

Hip fire spread test on the Supernova in this setup at 5m range:

Hip fire spread test on the Supernova in this setup at 10m range:

Attention operator, please be advised. There is a new directive from Six. Read up on these related articles, and prepare for deployment:

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