What are your favorite things about Sentinels?

[Ston]

My favorite thing about sentinels is their epic power pools, specifically psi mastery. I think I dedicate more power choices and slots to epic pool choices on sentinels than any other AT. I mean you have Mind Probe, Dominate, Psychic Shockwave, AND Link Minds available to you.. it's amazing. There's so many tools available to you in these sets (PBAoE attacks, melee attacks, heals, buffs, debuffs, CC's...) I was every AT had epic pools as diverse as the ones Sentinels have.

[roleki]

I guess what I like *most* about Sentinels is the flexibility the builds allow.   In terms of survivability, Sentinels start out where my Corruptors/Blasters/Defenders could only hope to end up if I chased +Def or +Res set bonuses exclusively.   If I want to chase +Recharge or +Damage, or heck, +Movement, I am free to do that because I don't have to go nuts trying to keep the Sentinel upright.

 

Second thing, since survivability is pretty much built into the character, I am free to try new things out of pool powers and Incarnates, unlike pretty much every other AT where I am shoehorning these two out of Leadership, this one out of Leaping, those three out of Fighting, Clarion and so on.

 

Lastly, since nobody expects anything out of a Sentinel, I could take the whole dang Flight pool if I wanted, and not have people giving me side-eye for not making THIS choice or THAT choice, or failing to tuck just the right proc into THAT power.  I could post a janky Sentinel build right now, taking all the weird procs like the Tempest proc (go ahead, look it up) and  nobody would lean in and say, "you know, if you took THIS instead of THAT and slotted THIS over here, you could really trim your Pylon time down" or whatever, because damn near every Sentinel build is correct.   Is it alive?  Does it have more than one attack?  Looks fine to me! 

 

[Crysis]

I’ll be happy to come back to this thread if the devs ever up the damage/aggro limits of the set.  It should play like a (short) ranged scrapper, minus crits.  It plays more like an armored Dominator instead.  I really have little issue with Sent secondaries.  It’s just been unnecessarily neutered in damage.  They address that and the AT will blossom.   

[DreadShinobi]

Sentinels aren't really my cup of tea. The survivability they have available to them doesn't justify the immense limitations placed on them in damage potential (present in both base modifiers and target cap limits). Their survivability potential offers little to the rest of the team compared to traditional armor sets that have aggro control/taunt functions in their respective archetypes to leverage the survivability advantage. Lacking aggro control puts more emphasis on the damage they can produce from their primary/ancillary which is typically less than archetypes that match their one dimensional role on a team or even with archetypes that fill multiple roles on a team. I compare sentinels most closely to stalkers for this reason because they are both armored archetypes that do not inherently manipulate mob AI, crowd control, or aggro control. Sentinels suffer in this comparison because of the target limits placed on their AoEs. Those that have mentioned a base damage adjustment to sentinels being exceedingly necessary to address the identity issue are not blowing smoke. It really does need to be addressed at that basic level before the archetype can really benefit at all from further fine tuning and without addressing the basic archetypal modifiers means minor tweaks with the best of intentions will not do much to change the current opinion of sentinels, which you may freely agree or disagree with. As an entirely side topic if anyone loves to play a sentinel just because you can blast with mez protection that should really highlight the inherent issues with how outdated mez effects are as a part of the combat system, how biased many enemy factions are between archetypes, and how important this discrepancy really is.

 

On topic, the only reason I was drawn towards playing a sentinel at all was the unsuppressed movement speed available in offensive adaptation athletic regulation bio armor. Which for such a minor overly specific quirk that was justifiably removed shows how undesirable I find the archetype to be in its current state.

 

What I felt was really done well with Sentinels was their selection of ancillary pools, as others have mentioned. Sentinel ancillaries are full of flavor defining powers that make a basic blast/armor character feel unique and highly customizable depending on the selections you make as you move through lvl 35+ to the end of your leveling experience. Having an AoE immobilize dramatically expands the functional role of a sentinel on teams. Darkest Night, Link Minds, Warmth, Rehab Circuit are pretty cool team support options. Their ancillaries have a flavorful selection of single target mezzes, heavy hitting melee attacks, and PBAoEs that feel strong, unique, character defining, and otherwise feel like the archetype wasn't shortchanged with the selection of powers given here, unlike elsewhere. With some core functioning issues addressed to sentinels the ancillaries bringing uniqueness to the archetype is what will bring me back to playing them again.

 

 

Edited August 2, 2021 by DreadShinobi

[roleki]

19 hours ago, Crysis said:

I’ll be happy to come back to this thread if the devs ever up the damage/aggro limits of the set.  It should play like a (short) ranged scrapper, minus crits.  It plays more like an armored Dominator instead.  I really have little issue with Sent secondaries.  It’s just been unnecessarily neutered in damage.  They address that and the AT will blossom.   

 

How about keep the damage where it's at, and ADD crits?  Or, some kind of "reverse Scourge" where the more health something has, the more damage a Sentinel does?  Or something, I don't know.   They gave Controllers Containment when that AT was flagging, and now you're as apt to find a Controller as you would a Scrapper or a Blaster.  

 

Me, I'm "happy" with my Sentinels because I treat them like Defenders that traded support powers for armor, instead of lamenting that they are underperforming Blasters or ranged Scrappers.  That said, I acknowledge that a team/league would benefit far more from having an actual DPS AT or an actual Support AT in my spot.  

[Crysis]

1 hour ago, roleki said:

 

How about keep the damage where it's at, and ADD crits?  Or, some kind of "reverse Scourge" where the more health something has, the more damage a Sentinel does?  Or something, I don't know.   They gave Controllers Containment when that AT was flagging, and now you're as apt to find a Controller as you would a Scrapper or a Blaster.  

 

Me, I'm "happy" with my Sentinels because I treat them like Defenders that traded support powers for armor, instead of lamenting that they are underperforming Blasters or ranged Scrappers.  That said, I acknowledge that a team/league would benefit far more from having an actual DPS AT or an actual Support AT in my spot.  

 

Not my decision but per Capt Powerhouse a couple years ago the entire sets mechanics is going to be stood on its head, scrapped and redone.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 2, 2021 by Crysis

[DocRadio]

On 7/1/2021 at 6:18 AM, Galaxy Brain said:

I've noticed a lot of negativity surrounding Sents lately, and I think it's time to turn that around! 

 

For me, a Sentinel was the very first thing I made on HC as it was a brand-new AT. A mix of Ranged and Armor with tweaks to both? It sounds like a blast! Combined with the big, flashy target you can apply it makes for a rather unique character compared to the rest.

 

How about you?

Easy. A ranged character with early access to rock solid status protection. Late game they're sort of outclassed by just about every other ranged archetype. That being said, you can concentrate on IO's that boost damage and not have to worry about status protection or survivability. You have those on tap already.

 

[DocRadio]

On 7/3/2021 at 9:25 AM, Galaxy Brain said:

Great replies! Something that stood out tho... it seems like Opportunity isn't on anyone's radar?

Because Opportunity effing sucks. It's a confusing mechanic that doesn't seem to make a difference.

 

[KaoticKarl]

6 hours ago, DocRadio said:

Because Opportunity effing sucks. It's a confusing mechanic that doesn't seem to make a difference.

 

 

I'd change it to similar to Brute Fury in a sense in function, making us build a % bar that would start as base the damage numbers we have now with higher bar = higher damage numbers. Would make them on par with other ATs, in terms of damage overall, with just slightly less targets affected. A bump up from what it is now a little, say 2 or 3 more targets added to cap would be nice, but only if it doesn't add more recharge time to the powers to compensate - otherwise, leave it alone, I like being faster and having a nuke up for every mob spawn.

 

Now to slightly differ from the Fury mechanic, they can give us a toggle to go from offensive stance to defensive stance, where the extra percent damage we would be normally adding to our attacks now instead heals us similar to the numbers we see currently with defensive opportunity running. Removes the clunky build to proc system in place, and replaces it with an on-demand decision to make of 'burn or survive.' I'm sure the numbers could be tweaked to keep balance, but I'd love to see this implemented for the AT to make it more interesting and fun.

 

Just my two inf to add in. On topic, Sents are fun because they are tankmages who sit there pew-pewing without having to stop drinking their beer when mobs close in. The other guys call it jousting - I call it interruption of imbibing!

Edited August 5, 2021 by KaoticKarl

[ZorkNemesis]

I made one that used Mystic Flight as their primary means of travel.  Aim has a range bonus on Sentinels so Translocation after Aim became a great way to cover a lot of distance in record time.

[carnalchaos]

I love them for ranged damage with mez protection, that alone is worth the price of admission.  I find them similar to scrappers a very good solo toon if you want to play by yourself and adequate on teams.  Plus they have some real fun and inexpensive IO options so they are cheap to toughen up and increase damage on.  

 

 I think  perhaps their biggest "perk" is they show you how to blast properly.  That is to say use the mob AI response and secondary effects to aid in your survival.  I used to hate playing blasters and doms as I kept face planting which is the exact opposite of feeling super in my mind, butt playing sentinels turned on the light for me when it comes to ranged toons.  I have played a lot more blasters and dominators since I returned. 

 

Good starter toon for new players, fun introduction to blasting sets, great toon if your slightly off your game that day and a fun addition to the game!

Edited August 8, 2021 by carnalchaos

[Android Nim]

blasters and scrappers already have damage coverered. Make sentinels buff/debuff harder. leave the damage as it is. Melee buffing/debuffing set. 

[Underfyre]

8 hours ago, Android Nim said:

blasters and scrappers already have damage coverered. Make sentinels buff/debuff harder. leave the damage as it is. Melee buffing/debuffing set. 

Corruptors, Defenders and Controllers already buff/debuff harder.

[Saverok]

Give Sentinel a unique "aggro". I mean a table that only the one at the top of the table is actually aggroing the Sentinel, like call it "inescapable". The Sentinel would get extra damage and res/def vs this unique target. Making the Sentinel the perfect "off-tanker" and completely prevent the "target" from fleeing. This would somewhat up the damage on the Sentinel, without turning it into a Blaster, or a death machine like Stalker/Scrapper. They wouldnt steal the tank place as they would really only hold 1 target at a time, but at least it would never flee and would warrant the defense side of the Sentinel. If two Sentinel are targeting the same enemy, only the one with highest aggro is getting targeted, but both get their "DPS/RES/DEF" bonus versus him. (This could actually open new tactics of manipulating a boss into a different position). 

 

Particularly intersting if the Sentinel as high Def/Res versus something that the tank doesnt. (Say an Inv tank with the Psi hole, the Sentinel grab that particular mob and keep it's attention while the groupe defeat everything else. The Sentinel has everything to handle this particular mob, and it will not direct his attack to the tank even with his aggro tactics). 

 

Maybe the easiest way would be to add to the R1 attack a 15 seconds debuff on an enemy that cause extreme aggro (temporarily) and buff the DPS/RES/DEF of the Sentinel vs that target (only that target). If the debuff is applied to a second target, the first one is terminated. Might be easier to set up for the Devs.

 

Just my 2 inf.

Edited August 17, 2021 by Saverok

[Wobegone]

I love Sentinels for hoverblasting and Mez protection.  Simple as that.

[BazookaTwo]

On 7/1/2021 at 8:50 AM, oldskool said:

 

Only lately? 😆

 

The Sentinel offered me an opportunity to explore ranged sets deeper than I had ever bothered to on Live.  On Live, whenever I bothered with a ranged set it was an means to an end with a support AT like the Corruptor or Defender.  I never liked the gameplay of the Blaster, and I still don't.  The Sentinel was a compromise on mechanics while still allowing a freedom of expression I couldn't find elsewhere.  

The Sentinel is still a very fun AT to play for me regardless of common forum knowledge.

 

 

your add to the forum knowledge is invaluable! Just wanted to say thanks for what you contribute - certainly helps my builds!

[BrandX]

18 minutes ago, Krimson said:

I have an Ice/Ice/Ice that I enjoy, and am currently working on a Psy/Fire. Since people have made it abundantly clear that Sentinels are not welcome, I play them solo. 

 

When have people made it clear they're not welcome?  I haven't seen anyone go "No Sentinels!" on teams.

 

Yes, they need improvement, but other than people not wanting to play them, feeling they're weak, I haven't seen any kick them from teams.

[Triumphant]

I like them.  I have two at the moment:  Dark/Dark and Cold/Inv.  

 

They aren't nearly as bad as everyone says, IMO.   On the other hand, yes- they are largely inferior to blasters.  But, then again, what isn't?  I agree with Snarky that that need a little bump to range and damage (Not a lot, just a bit of both) or else a massive reworking of the inherent to make it truly valuable.

[Bill Z Bubba]

On 8/27/2021 at 9:22 PM, Triumphant said:

On the other hand, yes- they are largely inferior to blasters. 

 

I still don't get it. I've had smarter folk than me rework my fire/time blaster's build and she still can't survive +4/x8 (hell, she couldn't survive +2/x8 PPD in DA earlier) where my fire/bio sent breezes right along. I find the stories of blaster superiority quite silly. I live, they die, sents are superior.

[Triumphant]

1 hour ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

I still don't get it. I've had smarter folk than me rework my fire/time blaster's build and she still can't survive +4/x8 (hell, she couldn't survive +2/x8 PPD in DA earlier) where my fire/bio sent breezes right along. I find the stories of blaster superiority quite silly. I live, they die, sents are superior.

 

Interesting.  I'm not sure why you're having such a struggle with your blaster. 

 

To be fair, I've never played fire/time.  My current main blaster is energy/energy.  He can typically fight +3/8 or +4/4.  It does vary with the enemy type, though.  I have a great deal of trouble with Praetorian Seers, for example, although I don't fight them very often so it's not really an issue.

[Bill Z Bubba]

8 hours ago, Triumphant said:

Interesting.  I'm not sure why you're having such a struggle with your blaster. 

 

More than likely because I attempt to play her as I do everything else. I don't use amps so I have to lean on clarion, I don't spam insps proactively because I'm used to armors/debuffs/controls managing incoming damage, I don't pull to thin out spawns because I hate wasting time like that... ugh. Ahh, well, I have her at 50 and T4ed. Doesn't mean I have to ever play her solo.

[Zerethon]

2 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

More than likely because I attempt to play her as I do everything else. I don't use amps so I have to lean on clarion, I don't spam insps proactively because I'm used to armors/debuffs/controls managing incoming damage, I don't pull to thin out spawns because I hate wasting time like that... ugh. Ahh, well, I have her at 50 and T4ed. Doesn't mean I have to ever play her solo.

Not knowing exactly how you're built on them, there's still a lot of potential issues.

Blasters do quite literally live and die by damage and CC, and they can handle +4/x8 pretty easy depending on the enemies and their powers, if the enemy group has a lot of mez effects and damage you don't have a combo of decent res/def too, you're dead. If they don't, you roll right over them.

And i've said it before as well, but ANY build should be rock-solid without any incarnate powers whatsoever, and it's the biggest trap in the game. After all, if you build yourself entirely around the idea of always being 50+3 with all your T4's available, what happens when they're not there? You die, a lot.

An Example

It's a ridiculous combo done entirely for a laugh, and uses munitions just because i love watching LRM wipe the floor with things, that said, with zero incarnates it's got close to 50% S/L Resist with Body armor of all things, and it's scaling is ATROCIOUS and has some helpful defense to all from IO's/stealth/weave, combine Dark and Time and those defenses are a whole lot more impressive when you have Absorb and healing mixed with debuffs and CC. Even scaled down it's still a pretty scary combo.

Is it as destructive as like, my Elec/Elec or Sonic/Rad sents or any of them? Naw, it's still easily nuked from time to time, but the raw damage i can put out in just my opening attack is absurd compared to sentinel damage.

[Triumphant]

@Bill Z Bubba Oh, yeah.  That stuff can make a difference.  Powersets and inspirations and whatnot really impact performance, too.  My blaster has his incarnates at T3, presently, and I did all of Mu'Vorkhan's missions solo last night, at +4/8.  I sort of have a method I use to engage that tilts the odds for me.

 

Firstly, I have energize perma'd.  If my robotic drones is up, I activate that for heal (slow recharge on lore pets though, so it's often not up).  Before I attack, I activate Assault total core and Clarion partial core, then gobble 1 defense and 1 resist inspiration.  Then I click aim and build up.  Then I combat teleport into the middle of a group of enemies, trigger Mighty assault, followed by Nova.  Whatever is left (usually little to nothing) I mop up with my normal attacks.

 

That's when soloing.  When in a group, things are moving very fast and I don't typically have time to activate all those powers and/or wait for them to recharge.  I don't typically need to, though.  As long as I have a tank or other melee AT engaging and drawing the attention of the enemy, I can typically spam my ranged attacks and combat teleport in for occasional blapping with near impunity.

 

For your particular build, the approach may necessarily be very different.  Each combo of powersets, even within the same AT, can produce very different ways of approaching tactics and combat (which is actually one of the things that I really enjoy about this game, tbh).

[Hedgefund]

Back to the original question - favorite things.

 

1) The secondaries are distinct enough (and sometimes even a significant improvement) that they offer a different experience from the same set for meleers.  Sent Regen is markedly different from the other 3 versions.  I've also T4d sents with Bio, FA, Inv, I was very satisfied with all of them (as secondaries providing mitigation).

2) Aside from the opportunity mechanic, it's simple.  So simple it's my answer to "what's the first AT I should play? from a brand new player"  No one's ever asked me that, but if they did...

 

Also among my favorite things are rainbows on roses and whiskers on kittens, but those have nothing to do with Sentinels.

[BrandX]

On 8/28/2021 at 9:12 PM, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

I still don't get it. I've had smarter folk than me rework my fire/time blaster's build and she still can't survive +4/x8 (hell, she couldn't survive +2/x8 PPD in DA earlier) where my fire/bio sent breezes right along. I find the stories of blaster superiority quite silly. I live, they die, sents are superior.

 

My guess is they count awakens and hospital runs as soloing 4/8 content just fine 😛