AR or Archery

[Alaric2019]

Hello Sentinel Friends,

 

I have been trying to decide on a natural Sentinel project,

but even after spending time on these forums cannot decide between Assault Rifle/WP or Archery/Willpower.

 

My needs are simple.  I always skip the T1 because the DPA is too low but still need 3 single target attacks, 2 AOE and the Nuke as well as Aim.

I like to proc out the AOE power (not the Nuke) and have a build that works well at high level and can exempt down to do random TF. 

I love some of the lower level content.

 

Please sell me on one of the two primaries. They both seem OK,

but I cannot figure out which one would have the smoothest attack chain and the greatest AOE potential.

[biostem]

I have a 50 sentinel with both AR and Archery.  I like the archery one more.  I can't say if that's because of the animation, their respective style/associated costumes, or actual combat performance, (or some combination thereof), unfortunately.  My AR one has invuln as their secondary and feels more tanky, but the archery one has willpower, and as long as you can withstand that alpha hit, your regen will be super high so you'll stay in the fight.   

[FupDup]

In terms of raw power, Assault Rifle stomps Archery into dust after the AR revamp.

 

Especially in terms of AOE, Assault Rifle is almost unmatched (while also being equal/better at ST than Archery too). Archery, meanwhile, only has average AOE by Sentinel standards (on other ATs it gets higher regards because of a fast recharging nuke, but all Sent nukes have normalized damage/recharge so it loses that benefit).

 

Another benefit is that AR has several sources of fire damage, while Archery is almost entirely limited to lethal. And Arch has very limited proc options, while AR has more because it has more secondary effects (KB on 3 powers, -def on Burst, stun on the T2 blast). 

 

TL;DR: Assault Rifle wins this comparison without contest, assuming the goal is performance (but in terms of theme/concept they're very different). 

Edited October 6, 2023 by FupDup

[Alaric2019]

Thank you folks for your feedback. 

Its always great to get other perspectives with reasoning.

Although I am still considering both. I am currently giving the AR a test run.

[drbuzzard]

Archery lags in sentinels because the T9 is nerfed compared either to other AT or other sentinel sets. I use the hell of the T9 on all my sentinels so when I noticed how bad the archery one was I retired the character. 

 

If the T9 ever gets fixed, it will be a good set. You can chain stunning shot, perfect shot, and blazing arrow for a very powerful single target attack chain. 

 

At present AR is certainly better. The only beef I have with AR is that you can't chain up the top 3 single target attacks smoothly without a gap (assuming perma hasten level of recharge so +170% universal plus whatever set is in it). 

[Alaric2019]

On 10/18/2023 at 1:29 PM, drbuzzard said:

Archery lags in sentinels because the T9 is nerfed compared either to other AT or other sentinel sets. I use the hell of the T9 on all my sentinels so when I noticed how bad the archery one was I retired the character. 

 

If the T9 ever gets fixed, it will be a good set. You can chain stunning shot, perfect shot, and blazing arrow for a very powerful single target attack chain. 

 

At present AR is certainly better. The only beef I have with AR is that you can't chain up the top 3 single target attacks smoothly without a gap (assuming perma hasten level of recharge so +170% universal plus whatever set is in it). 

 

Thanks Doc,

 

I suspected this based on my play testing, but not being a numbers guy was not sure if I was doing something wrong on slotting.

Really appreciate the feedback from everyone.

 

Decided on Assault Rifle, kind of a Mandolorian-themed character and it seems OK.  Will see how it feels at higher levels.

 

Does anyone have a recommended build for AR/WP that can play both low level task forces and be solid at 50 ?

I am going to go Ninja Tools mastery for theme.

[BazookaTwo]

I love my Archery sent. Explosive arrow > Grenade all day. Grenade is the crappiest Kb/Kd power in the whole game. 

[Bananiac]

I agree on that, Explosive Arrow is the core power actually on that set. But Full Auto is just an unbeatable Nuke that melts away mobs like nothing else.