Gatekeeper 1.0 — Echo Guide: Best Build

There is a moment in every Gatekeeper‘s journey when brute force is no longer enough—when the chaos on the screen becomes a symphony of threats that cannot be simply smashed aside. It was in one such moment, surrounded by machinations I could not hope to overpower, that I first understood the true power of sound.

I was not fighting the tide; I was learning to conduct it. This is the path of Echo, the sonic-themed sentinel who trades raw power for impeccable control and safety. If you are a player who finds satisfaction in strategic positioning, clever ability combinations, and dismantling your enemies from an unassailable distance, then this Echo guide is your tuning fork for the cosmos.

This Gatekeeper 1.0 build guide is designed to transform you into a master of resonance. We will delve beyond the basic tooltips and into the harmonious synergies that make Echo a uniquely safe and potent choice. We will explore the best build strategies, artifact synergies, and the subtle rhythm of combat that allows you to clear rooms without ever taking a hit. Forget wading into the fray; here, we learn to control the battlefield from afar, making every encounter dance to our frequency.

The Lore of Echo: A Creator Condemned

To understand Echo is to understand a tragic legacy. He is not merely a warrior; he was once a Creator, an entity of immense power who helped shape the physical universe under the will of Terranis, Vita, and Celesta. For millennia, his voice resonated through the void, bringing form to chaos. When his cosmic service was complete, the Creators faced a dilemma: such a powerful force could not be allowed to remain idle.

His punishment for the crime of existence was to be condemned to the role of a Gatekeeper. This lore is reflected directly in his gameplay: he is a master of fundamental forces, controlling the battlefield with the same precision he once used to weave stars, yet forever separated from the glory of his past. Playing Echo is to wield the lingering power of a demigod.

Unlocking the Symphony – Your Journey to Echo

Before you can wield the power of resonance, you must prove your worth not through strength, but through intelligence and observation. Echo is not granted; he is earned by solving a puzzle on the game’s final planet.

The Unlock Requirement

Echo is located in the Barren Basin, on the planet Aridune—the last planet in a run. Your objective is to find and activate a capsule containing Echo, but to do so, you must first power it up by activating all the glowing engines or generators found across the stage in the correct order. You will know you’ve activated the correct engine if it lights up and remains on.

The Step-by-Step Activation Sequence

The puzzle requires a specific sequence. Follow these steps precisely:

1. The First Engine: Activate the generator at the start of the area.
2. The Second Engine: From the start, move up toward the middle of the room and activate the second generator.
3. The Third Engine: From the center, go to the far left of the area and activate the third generator.
4. The Fourth Engine: Finally, come all the way across the room back toward the bottom right, near where you started, and activate the fourth and final generator.

Completing this sequence will unlock the capsule and grant you permanent access to Echo. This methodical process is a fitting introduction to a character whose power lies not in chaos, but in precise, calculated order.

Deconstructing the Frequency – Echo’s Abilities and Upgrades

Echo’s kit is a masterpiece of synergy, where every ability amplifies another. His core mechanic, Resonance, turns isolated attacks into cascading waves of destruction. Understanding each skill is the first step to mastering his rhythm.

Echo’s Ability Overview

Ability Name	Type	Base Effect	Key Upgrade Effects
Resonance	Passive	Enemies affected by Resonance extend the wave from the first skill, Pulse.	N/A
Pulse	Main Attack (First Skill)	Target an enemy to deal 150% damage and blast a sound wave around them for 100% damage to others.	+35% wave radius; 30% chance to double trigger the wave; 250% damage to primary target.
Harmonic Explosion	Secondary Skill	Creates a bubble that explodes after 2 seconds, dealing 300% damage in a 10-unit radius and knocking enemies back.	Pulls enemies in before exploding; creates a wave from nearby Tuning Forks for 600% damage; killed enemies emanate Pulse.
Breach	Mobility Skill	Throws a disk dealing 300% damage on contact. Reusing the ability teleports Echo to the disk’s location.	Pushes impacted enemies; passing through a Tuning Fork creates 4 additional disks; creates a reverse disk upon activation.
Consonance	Ultimate Skill	Creates a Tuning Fork. Using Pulse on it emits an Amplified Pulse. Enemies near the fork are affected by Resonance.	Stuns enemies upon appearance; Echo automatically uses Amplified Pulse while in range; gains +2 skill charges.

Ability Deep Dive and Strategic Analysis

Passive: Resonance – The Ripple Effect

This passive is the core of Echo’s area control. It means that any enemy marked by your abilities (particularly those near your Tuning Fork) will extend the reach of your basic Pulse attack. This creates a chain reaction where damaging one enemy can send waves through an entire crowd, making Echo exceptionally powerful against dense groups.

• Strategic Implication: Your goal is to group enemies or place your Tuning Fork strategically to maximize the number of enemies affected by Resonance. A well-placed fork can turn your single-target Pulse into a screen-clearing shockwave.

Main Attack: Pulse – The Targeted Catalyst

This is your primary source of damage and your main tool for triggering resonance effects. Its infinite range and ability to be targeted through walls are Echo’s defining defensive features, allowing you to contribute to a fight from total safety.

• Upgrade Priority: The 30% chance to double trigger (Upgrade 2) is a massive damage multiplier. However, the initial radius increase (Upgrade 1) is invaluable for applying Resonance to more enemies early on. The final upgrade turns your primary target into a priority delete button.

Secondary Skill: Harmonic Explosion – The Control Zone

This is your “reset” button for managing crowds. The base knockback is useful for creating space, but the upgrades transform it into a devastating combo piece.

• Upgrade Priority: The upgrade that pulls enemies in (Upgrade 1) is a phenomenal setup tool, grouping foes for your Pulse and Tuning Fork. However, the synergy with Consonance (Upgrade 2) is where the real magic happens, creating a 600% damage nuke that can obliterate entire waves.

Mobility Skill: Breach – The Offensive Repositioning Tool

This is not merely an escape tool; it is one of the highest-damage movement skills in the game. With a base 300% damage, you can and should use it aggressively to dash through enemies.

• Strategic Implication: Use Breach to reposition yourself to a safer spot while damaging everything in your path. The upgrade that creates four additional disks when passing through a Tuning Fork turns this skill into a devastating area-of-effect attack, shredding groups that cluster around your ultimate.

Ultimate Skill: Consonance – The Heart of the Symphony

The Tuning Fork is the centerpiece of Echo’s entire kit. It automatically applies Resonance to nearby enemies and supercharges your Pulse into an Amplified version while you stand in its range.

• Strategic Implication: Do not hoard this ability. Drop Tuning Forks frequently to control choke points and create zones of immense power. The upgrade that grants +2 charges is arguably one of the best in his kit, allowing you to lock down large sections of the map simultaneously.

Crafting the Perfect Build – Artifacts and Stat Priorities

Knowing Echo’s abilities is only half the battle. Equipping him with the right artifacts and focusing on the correct stats will elevate him from a safe kiter to a rapid-clearing powerhouse.

S-Tier Artifact Synergies

Echo thrives with artifacts that enhance his area-of-effect damage, trigger on-hit effects, or improve his utility. The following table highlights some of the best artifacts for his playstyle, based on community-tested effectiveness.

Artifact	Group	Effect	Why It’s Great for Echo
Essence	Basic Set – 4	On hit, a 5% chance to release an energy wave dealing 250% damage.	Synergizes perfectly with Pulse’s rapid firing, creating constant additional waves.
HVC	Basic Set – 1	On hit, a 25% chance to trigger chain lightning with 2 bounces.	Adds another layer of multi-target damage to an already multi-target kit.
Bayonet	Titan-200	Enemies with <40% HP receive 60% more damage.	Helps Echo finish off wounded packs quickly, complementing his sustained damage.
Vertebral Implant	Basic Set – 1	+35% to maximum health.	Provides a safety net for occasional mistakes, which is crucial for a character with low base health.
Enhancer	Basic Set – 2	The second skill (Harmonic Explosion) gains an additional charge.	More charges mean more crowd control and more frequent 600% damage nukes with Tuning Fork synergy.

Stat Priority: What to Focus On

When choosing between upgrades during a run, prioritize these stats in the following order:

1. Skill Cooldown Reduction: This is your number one priority. Lower cooldowns mean more Tuning Forks, more Harmonic Explosions, and more Breach dashes. This directly translates to higher damage output and better survivability.
2. Damage vs Stunned/Slowed: Since Echo’s kit includes knockbacks and a potential stun from his Tuning Fork, bonuses to damage against impaired enemies are highly effective multipliers.
3. Attack Speed: Faster attack speed allows you to trigger your Pulse waves more frequently, accelerating the resonance chains and applying on-hit artifact effects more often.
4. Max Health & Health Regeneration: With a base health of only 120, Echo is fragile. While your goal is to avoid damage entirely, stats that give you a buffer for error are invaluable, especially when learning his positioning.

The Art of Sonic Warfare – Gameplay Strategy and Rotation

Echo’s gameplay is a dance. It’s about maintaining distance, setting up your domain, and orchestrating the demise of your enemies with calculated precision.

The Engagement Philosophy: The Kiting Conductor

Your mindset should be one of controlled aggression. You are not a passive observer; you are a conductor directing the flow of battle. Your core principle is to never stop moving. Use your terrain to break line of sight with ranged enemies while your infinite-range Pulse continues to work.

• Positioning is Everything: Always keep an exit route in mind. Use Breach to traverse through enemies or over obstacles, not just to escape but to reposition to a more advantageous firing point.
• The Power of Walls: One of Echo’s greatest strengths is his ability to attack through walls. You can safely damage enemies while being completely shielded from their attacks. Use this to whittle down dangerous groups before they even have a chance to engage you.

Optimal Skill Rotation and Combat Flow

While every encounter is dynamic, a general combat loop will maximize your effectiveness:

1. Initiation and Zone Control: As you approach a group, lead with Consonance (Ultimate) to place a Tuning Fork in a choke point or on top of a key enemy. This immediately applies Resonance to everyone nearby.
2. Amplification: Immediately begin spamming Pulse (Main Attack). If you have the upgrade, you will automatically fire Amplified Pulses, dealing massive area damage.
3. Crowd Control: When enemies cluster, use Harmonic Explosion (Secondary). If placed near your Tuning Fork, this becomes a devastating 600% damage nuke. Use the knockback or pull effect to manage the crowd’s position.
4. Repositioning and Damage: Use Breach (Mobility) aggressively to dash through the crowd, dealing 300% damage and moving to a safer location. If you pass through your Tuning Fork, you’ll unleash additional disks for even more damage.
5. Sustain the Symphony: Repeat. Keep moving, keep placing Tuning Forks, and keep the waves of sound crashing over your enemies until nothing remains.

Understanding Echo’s Place in the Meta

It is important to address Echo’s placement in the current meta. He is often ranked in B-Tier. This is not because he is weak, but because the meta heavily favors speed and overwhelming offense, dominated by characters like Bastion and Aegis who can clear levels faster.

Echo’s strength is ultimate safety and consistency. His playstyle is methodical and safe, which can be slower but is exceptionally reliable for completing runs, especially when you are learning the game or its higher difficulties. He is a master of control in a meta that often prioritizes pure speed.

Mastering Echo is not about unleashing unchecked power; it is about understanding the rhythm of battle and learning to make the universe resonate at your frequency. It is the satisfaction of watching a screen full of enemies dissolve into harmonic waves, their attacks futile against a foe they cannot reach. From the moment you solve the puzzle on Aridune, you accept the legacy of a fallen Creator.

This guide has given you the tools: the knowledge of his resonant kit, the rhythm of his combat dance, and the path to building a true sonic sentinel. Now, the battlefield awaits your composition. Go forth, conduct the symphony of destruction, and let your frequency echo the forgotten power of the Creators. Become the Echo you were destined to be.