Sentinel Guide: For players having trouble

[Tangenobi]

If a class (in this case Sentinel) requires more skill and better gear...it IS a weaker class.

 

Heck, that's the definition of a weaker class.

 

If a class requires more skill it is not a weaker class..Needing better gear now that I agree with you..I don't think, however, that Sents heavily rely on gear more so than other classes...I will say though, The Sent gear only buffs I don't like.. (The one thats lowers Dispatch by 1 focus and lowers the centering CD by 15 secs.)

[woosters]

I've got to admit that compared to the other classes I've played Sentinels are the worst in terms of ease of play. That said though I am really enjoying the challenge.

 

Yes I die a lot, but it's always because I've screwed something up or my tactics are wrong. Knowing that I've not got a Press A = Win abilities means that I genuinely feel a sense of satisfaction when I win a tough battle.

[coille]

Good thread this. I've picked up a lot already. I have two sentinels on the go, one at lvl 33 and one at 39. The one that's at 39 was my first effort and I made a ot of mistakes. It's sort of test pilot. The one that's at 33 has learned from those mistakes as it coming a long better.

 

Good point about speccing power over endurance. I have been prioritising endurance but will now have a rethink on that.

[reganomics]

once i discovered this blog, my mmo life has changed. i kid you not, i almost rerolled my sentinel as the traditional keybinds are basically hampering your performance. he also does a pvp vid for almost all the classes but not all ACs. highly recommended!

[eyrjedi]

The Sent is a very poor class. Ever try running PVP with the lag this game has. You can never build focus. The abilities never trigger and you can't build focus enough to use any other ability. And all the enemy has to do is keep 3 meters away. Not to mention non of your stuns or your best abilities DO NOT work in PVP arenas(nooo, can't allow you to use pommel strike). Yes you can hold someone for 6 seconds and do minimal damage but you can't do anything else while you are holding him.

Also you are put in the middle of all fighting and every area attack with squishy armor a 5 second defence ability (with a 5min cooldown) and no way to get you out. You can't really have any long fights in these situations for you true power to be shown.

Combine all this with a complex fight mechanic and you pretty much guarantee a quick trip back to the respawn.

 

I just think that the class should be the BEST damage dealing class since damage is what you are stuck with. Can't tank, heal or range dps. Lame when a healing spec'd class can out dps any sentinel over and over. I can do more dps with a scoundrel spec'd heal than my sent could ever dream of.

[Kastchey]

lvl 33 , combat specced. I cannot solo 2 silvers that are 3 levelels lower than me without burning all cooldowns.

Me and kira are stuck at a lvl 32 quest, I've a bad suspicion that I should've geared up my droid companion instead, because he has heavy armor and tanking talents.

 

I have mostly blue lvl 31-32 gear and I still cannot kill a gold (which is a part of the class quest). Kira dies as fast as me, she is a shadow (I assume, because of the 2bladed LS) but is not really a tank.

 

I'm thinking of switching to watchman, see if that help any and in the meantime gearing up my droid.

 

I have played every single class to at least 25 and I have a couple of 50s, never before seen anything so fragile.

[Vetilo]

The Sent is a very poor class. Ever try running PVP with the lag this game has. You can never build focus. The abilities never trigger and you can't build focus enough to use any other ability. And all the enemy has to do is keep 3 meters away. Not to mention non of your stuns or your best abilities DO NOT work in PVP arenas(nooo, can't allow you to use pommel strike). Yes you can hold someone for 6 seconds and do minimal damage but you can't do anything else while you are holding him.

Also you are put in the middle of all fighting and every area attack with squishy armor a 5 second defence ability (with a 5min cooldown) and no way to get you out. You can't really have any long fights in these situations for you true power to be shown.

Combine all this with a complex fight mechanic and you pretty much guarantee a quick trip back to the respawn.

 

I just think that the class should be the BEST damage dealing class since damage is what you are stuck with. Can't tank, heal or range dps. Lame when a healing spec'd class can out dps any sentinel over and over. I can do more dps with a scoundrel spec'd heal than my sent could ever dream of.

 

I hate to say it, but I almost completely agree with you. I have been playing PVP with my Sentinel as a Watchman spec and I get completely wiped almost non-stop. It is just amazing how I can find a single target, jump on them and start adding dots, only to be overwhelmed by his 2-5 mates that were apparently just waiting to kill me. I have tried hanging with other players and acting as damage for their targets, and that seems to work a little better, but the damage output of the Sentinel seems really week. I was having a difficult time putting up anything like a respectable damage amount during PVP at all, I'm talking an average around 45K over the course of a warzone. As soon as I jump in I get cc'd, which I quickly break, but then I just get cc'd again before I can do any real damage. And I have seen smugglers with a heal spec put up just insane amounts of both heals and damage.

 

I am SURE that a good portion of this is my relative in-ability to manage the multitude of skills and abilities on targets that run around the map like headless chickens while attempting to run around like decapitated poultry myself, but still, I thought that this was supposed to be the best of the best at damage. I find it being the worst. I recently rolled a trooper and was putting up over 75K damage when I was only at level 10, and that has continued to rise as I have been leveling.

 

I just don't feel that the Sentinel class has much to offer to the PVP world, especially with all of the ranged attacks from other classes half killing you before you get into range, and the abysmally difficult prospect of hitting a moving target and trying to keep them in melee range.

[Vetilo]

All of that being said however, I do feel that the Watchman spec for Sentinel is absolutely GREAT for PVE, and I am hoping that it will do equally as well in end game raiding. You can burn down large bosses with relative ease, especially if they are not running all over the map, and if you manage your defensive cool-downs then you can ensure that you survive the up-close encounter.

I have heard it before, but I don't remember where, so I'll post it again. Hit Rebuke at the start of a fight or at 75% health, Saber Ward at 50%, Guarded by the Force at 25% (if you have it) immediately followed up by a medpack, and if you are playing PVE, hit your heroic skill when you get back down to 25%. At anytime, especially in a boss fight, if you see Rebuke go active make sure that you hit it.

That combination lets me survive the vast majority of fights with relative ease.

[nubzz]

If a class (in this case Sentinel) requires more skill and better gear...it IS a weaker class.

 

Heck, that's the definition of a weaker class.

 

This would hold true if a skilled player could not do better than an average player with a "strong" class. And it seems to be pretty much the case.

This class is simply harder to do well with which does indeed imo make it a weaker class, though it's still fun to force leap in someones face and start bashing them.

[iCanUseTheForce]

Currently I am kinda testing and practicing with Sentinel. My plan is to level a Sentinel and a Shadow and see who has the best ability to solo, ie. without a companion.

 

So far the Shadow is doing better, it just seems to hit harder and takes down mobs quicker, thus reducing the damage incoming.

 

I like the Sentinel a bit better tho, as it seems to require more variety and thinking spontaneously.

 

I've been doing the same thing. With my Sent, I feel limited with a focus bar that I have to constantly build up with weak hits. It was my first toon and maybe I just never learned it properly. But my Shadow seems to hit much harder and I have more control early (2 interrupts and a channeled slow by 14).

 

My Sent is currently 22. Any tips how to build and manage focus better? I guess I have this compulsion to blow focus as soon as an ability has enough to use (ie - Blade Storm).

[SturmUndSterne]

Sentinel is all about learning rotations.

 

I'm a 47 right now, combat spec, but we won't get into the brokenness that is Combat right now. (Remember when Blade Storm used to stun people, and Master Strike did the same?)

 

My combat rotation basically is like this: Leap-Zealous-Precision-Blade Rush-Storm-Cauterize-Leg Slash-Opportune(if theyre capable of being hurt by it)-Master Strike-Strike-Slash (if I have more than 4 focus remaining).

 

Basically - set it up so that you can roll every combat ability you want at a net zero cost. Leap +4, Zealous +6, Precision -2, Rush -2, Storm -2, Cauterize -2, Leg Slash -1, Opportune -1. Most of the time, I trigger at least one Ataru form or Combat trance in there to build up one or two focus, so that way the Strike puts me back to 3+, then Slash -3(but I have the 99% refund 1 focus chance on it), which .. means my rotation is basically self-perpetuating. The cooldowns inherent wthin this rotation means I can only Master Strike every *other* rotation, as it's about a 7-8 second rotation through my skills.

 

As I was leveling, I knew my char was missing something. I didn't have Rush and I didn't have Precision. It made it much, much harder to do damage consistently. Your best bet is to really analyze which skills are useful, which build and which burn focus, and set it up so you can either bank a ton at the beginning of a rotation then burn through it, or have enough builders throughout the rotation to keep it up. For example, I said goodbye to Riposte at about level 18, because it was so haphazard when you were actually able to use it. I rarely use anything involving throwing the lightsaber (Dispatch or Saber Throw) except against trash mobs, but I do use Dispatch some when the conditions are met.

 

The other thing that *really* helps with a Sentinel, honestly, is when you get Doc. Once you get him, he can carbonite-freeze enemies for you and you can open with a pommel strike - about 1/4 to 1/2 of their HP goes away immediately. T7 has some stun abilities, but Kira.. oh, Kira. How useless you truly are.

 

 

Best advice I can give: Until you get Doc, find a trooper, sawbones, or sage buddy who want to quest with you, and level together. You become 350% more effective with even the most basic of healing skills.

[iCanUseTheForce]

Sentinel is all about learning rotations.

 

I'm a 47 right now, combat spec, but we won't get into the brokenness that is Combat right now. (Remember when Blade Storm used to stun people, and Master Strike did the same?)

 

My combat rotation basically is like this: Leap-Zealous-Precision-Blade Rush-Storm-Cauterize-Leg Slash-Opportune(if theyre capable of being hurt by it)-Master Strike-Strike-Slash (if I have more than 4 focus remaining).

 

Basically - set it up so that you can roll every combat ability you want at a net zero cost. Leap +4, Zealous +6, Precision -2, Rush -2, Storm -2, Cauterize -2, Leg Slash -1, Opportune -1. Most of the time, I trigger at least one Ataru form or Combat trance in there to build up one or two focus, so that way the Strike puts me back to 3+, then Slash -3(but I have the 99% refund 1 focus chance on it), which .. means my rotation is basically self-perpetuating. The cooldowns inherent wthin this rotation means I can only Master Strike every *other* rotation, as it's about a 7-8 second rotation through my skills.

 

As I was leveling, I knew my char was missing something. I didn't have Rush and I didn't have Precision. It made it much, much harder to do damage consistently. Your best bet is to really analyze which skills are useful, which build and which burn focus, and set it up so you can either bank a ton at the beginning of a rotation then burn through it, or have enough builders throughout the rotation to keep it up. For example, I said goodbye to Riposte at about level 18, because it was so haphazard when you were actually able to use it. I rarely use anything involving throwing the lightsaber (Dispatch or Saber Throw) except against trash mobs, but I do use Dispatch some when the conditions are met.

 

The other thing that *really* helps with a Sentinel, honestly, is when you get Doc. Once you get him, he can carbonite-freeze enemies for you and you can open with a pommel strike - about 1/4 to 1/2 of their HP goes away immediately. T7 has some stun abilities, but Kira.. oh, Kira. How useless you truly are.

 

 

Best advice I can give: Until you get Doc, find a trooper, sawbones, or sage buddy who want to quest with you, and level together. You become 350% more effective with even the most basic of healing skills.

 

Actually, your post really cleared some things up for me. I was having a hard time understanding how to build/save/use focus. When leaping into a group I would always follow with my AOE attack and then be left with 1 focus and nothing to do with it. Granted I'm only 22 and not fully talented yet. But I'll leave the Force Sweep out of my rotation and use it only with my Guardian huh? Focus (no pun intended) on single-target DPS then as Combat?

[GoggleBoi]

If a class (in this case Sentinel) requires more skill and better gear...it IS a weaker class.

 

Heck, that's the definition of a weaker class.

 

I really don't want to troll, cause I hate that, but this... wow. I am not sure how 'requiring more skill' equates to 'weaker.' The CLASS is not weak. It is very well balanced, though it does have some issues that need to be tweaked. It is a more challenging, yes, takes longer to master, yes, and it is not at all noob friendly, yes. Weaker? No, not even a little.

 

A 'weaker class' is a class that has crappy armour rating, crappy damage, crappy utility, and crappy mobility.

 

Sents have good damage. Some might say top-tier, if geared right.

Sents have decent armour. We aren't forced into light-armour, are we?

Sents have decent utility when spec'd right, and played right.

Sents have alright mobility, but only because of lack of CC resistance.

 

Our single issue is we are a Melee DPS without the ability to negate the CC that come our way, or to close the gap reliably when we have been CC'd out of the fight. Remove this issue, and we come very close to the dread 'OP' claim.

Edited February 16, 2012 by GoggleBoi

[nubzz]

I really don't want to troll, cause I hate that, but this... wow. I am not sure how 'requiring more skill' equates to 'weaker.' The CLASS is not weak. It is very well balanced, though it does have some issues that need to be tweaked. It is a more challenging, yes, takes longer to master, yes, and it is not at all noob friendly, yes. Weaker? No, not even a little.

 

A 'weaker class' is a class that has crappy armour rating, crappy damage, crappy utility, and crappy mobility.

 

Sents have good damage. Some might say top-tier, if geared right.

Sents have decent armour. We aren't forced into light-armour, are we?

Sents have decent utility when spec'd right, and played right.

Sents have alright mobility, but only because of lack of CC resistance.

 

Our single issue is we are a Melee DPS without the ability to negate the CC that come our way, or to close the gap reliably when we have been CC'd out of the fight. Remove this issue, and we come very close to the dread 'OP' claim.

 

So of all the classes which in your opinion is the weakest? My main is a gunslinger and I personally think the sentinel could actually be weaker. It seems what you are delving into is "I like (insert your favorite class here) and they can do as well as any class if I try hard enough."

This is not how one should define reality.

[Melhcior]

The Sent is a very poor class. Ever try running PVP with the lag this game has. You can never build focus. The abilities never trigger and you can't build focus enough to use any other ability. And all the enemy has to do is keep 3 meters away. Not to mention non of your stuns or your best abilities DO NOT work in PVP arenas(nooo, can't allow you to use pommel strike). Yes you can hold someone for 6 seconds and do minimal damage but you can't do anything else while you are holding him.

Also you are put in the middle of all fighting and every area attack with squishy armor a 5 second defence ability (with a 5min cooldown) and no way to get you out. You can't really have any long fights in these situations for you true power to be shown.

Combine all this with a complex fight mechanic and you pretty much guarantee a quick trip back to the respawn.

 

I just think that the class should be the BEST damage dealing class since damage is what you are stuck with. Can't tank, heal or range dps. Lame when a healing spec'd class can out dps any sentinel over and over. I can do more dps with a scoundrel spec'd heal than my sent could ever dream of.

 

While I thank you for your input. Please keep this on topic and helpful information only This forum post is to help players get better at this class, not to deter them to reroll something else.

 

However in order to give you feedback I will reply in regards to pvp. Sentinel is not the only class having trouble in pvp, in all honesty there are only like 3 pvp dominant class/spec combos so far. Focus Sentinel's are actually quite decent in pvp, we just rely heavily on those 1-2 large crits. Pvp is a playstyle game, not necissarily a class game. If you get unlucky and pinned up against a group of experienced geared players. Yes you will feel your class is inferior. There really isnt a failsafe way to tell if the opposite faction is better geared than you are.

 

Pvp is unfortunately quite unbalanced at the moment for several classes. Quitting and playing something else is not the answer, eventually Bioware will find a good solution and who knows, maybe Sentinels will be OP in pvp for a while

 

Good luck and may the force be with you!

[Sleeptastic]

If you are combat your burst chain needs to be blade rush->Precision->master->blade storm.

[Melhcior]

This time I will post a reply in regards to rotations and helpful things since I have been absent for about a week. And again folks, I cant stress this enough. I did not make this post for flames, sentinel haters or crying so please take that elsewhere. This post is meant to be helpful to make other Sentinels succeed in their journey.

 

As previously stated I am a 50 combat Sentinel and have been since level 10. A little background for new commers on this post who dont want to beleive some of my advice because it may not "add up". I have never died more than once on any quest from 1-50(including class quests), 90% of them I didn't die at all. This is not meant to be braging rights, just merely to prove my ideas and theories do work, as long as they are executed or followed as I post them.

 

Anyways...now that thats out of the way. Lets discuss rotation ideas for your spec's, I would appreciate community input as well because my way's are in no way the best. They are just what I have found to work well for me.

 

How your rotation takes place is very situational and depends on the oponent type your facing. For example: Knowing an enemy has knockback, dont open with Force Leap. Also...Casters, you will have to include interputs into your rotation if they are anything stronger than a "weak" mob.

 

-As stated in my original post, I always open with my companion (I have always used Kira since I got her on Coruscunt).

 

-On "normal" non situational Strong (silver), Elite (gold) or Boss (Silver/Gold) mobs, the simple rotation that works great for me is.

*Force leap, Zealous Strikes, Blade Rush, Precision Slash, Master Strike, Blade Storm. (this is my short term burn phase).

-A silver (strong) enemy of my level will not live through this short rotation.

-If the oponent is an Elite (gold), I normally follow the previous rotation up with Force Stasis, Zealous Strikes again, (for some strange reason I end up hitting "Strike" a time or two) follow up with Precision slash again, pop Zen, Blade rush X2, Blade Storm again. (at this point the Elite mob is normally dead if he didnt die earlier from lucky crits).

 

-In short for Elite & Boss mobs my rotation looks something like this...

*Force leap, Zealous Strikes, Blade Rush, Precision Slash, Master Strike, Blade Storm, Force Stasis, Zealous Strikes, Strike X2, Precision Lash, Zen, Blade Rush X2, Blade Storm.*

 

In a normal situation I will have taken threat off of the tank halfway through the rotation and will hafta hit Force Camo to drop threat. Often times I will regain threat on bosses after Master Strike comes off CD.

 

Insert your defensive cooldowns where you feel they need to go, every enemy is different and uses different abilities.

 

As I stated before, this is not the best rotation...This is the best rotation for my playstyle and has always worked for me. Also again, please refrain from flames and negative input Lets hear some other rotations people use!

 

Keep up the good input folks! May the Force be with you!

Edited February 16, 2012 by Melhcior

[Chessack]

Nice thread. I will add some of the little tricks and things I have learned.

 

First I absolutely agree with "Interrupt, interrupt, interrupt..." It is astonishing how much more health you will have at the end of a tough Elite battle if you have been interrupting than if you haven't. Notice that sometimes this means you have to HOLD OFF your long-animation-time attacks like Master Strike until you can do your interrupt (because otherwise it won't finish in time or you will have to interrupt yourself to do it, both of which are poor).

 

This brings up the second point which is: don't spam your attacks the second they are available. You will get much more out of your sentinel if you think about what you are doing and sometimes that takes an extra half-second. The slight cost in time will be more than made up for by doing the RIGHT attack at the RIGHT time.

 

To me the most important thing with Sentinels is to take the time to think about what you are doing. I actually love this about Sentinels because they are Jedi... Jedi are supposed to be patient and thoughtful and calm. If you stay patient and thoughtful and calm as you play your Sentinel, you will blow through the content with ease. If you try to fast-spam your buttons as quickly as you can without thought, that is when you get into trouble.

 

EDIT: I do have to say... I almost *never* open with the companion. I've never had any issues being the "opener" for my little squad.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Chessack

[GoggleBoi]

So of all the classes which in your opinion is the weakest? My main is a gunslinger and I personally think the sentinel could actually be weaker. It seems what you are delving into is "I like (insert your favorite class here) and they can do as well as any class if I try hard enough."

This is not how one should define reality.

 

Honestly, I don't think there *is* a 'weaker' class. Not how I would define 'weaker' anyway. Every class has its ups and downs. Things are very well balanced, and each class has its role to play, its rock meets paper situation. I will not argue that the sentinel is HARDER to play - I took a break for several weeks and leveled a vanguard to 42 before returning to my Sent - because Sentinel can be very frustrating. When played well, they are a blast to play.

 

But the margin for error is extremely small with the class. Miss a CD, fail to position properly, or blow defenses too early, and you're cooked. Other classes have it easier in that the class is more forgiving. You can afford to be sloppy, or slower. In the case of ranged classes, positioning means very little. But, again, I think this is balanced because if the Sents could be as sloppy, if the same one-three button play style was implemented for Sents, we would be OP.

 

Once again, I do not think that having a class requiring more effort equates to weaker. Until I can see reliable metrics for DPS and Burst to compare to others, I feel my damage is superior to many. It just takes some effort and, yes, skill to dish it out.

Edited February 17, 2012 by GoggleBoi

[iCanUseTheForce]

Nice thread. I will add some of the little tricks and things I have learned.

 

First I absolutely agree with "Interrupt, interrupt, interrupt..." It is astonishing how much more health you will have at the end of a tough Elite battle if you have been interrupting than if you haven't. Notice that sometimes this means you have to HOLD OFF your long-animation-time attacks like Master Strike until you can do your interrupt (because otherwise it won't finish in time or you will have to interrupt yourself to do it, both of which are poor).

 

This brings up the second point which is: don't spam your attacks the second they are available. You will get much more out of your sentinel if you think about what you are doing and sometimes that takes an extra half-second. The slight cost in time will be more than made up for by doing the RIGHT attack at the RIGHT time.

 

I've just recently come to learn these 2 points. I abandoned my Sentinel because I thought it was either gimped or I was doing it wrong. Turns out, I was doing it wrong. Which I'm glad is the case. Interupting saes me a boatload of health and has never been as important with trash as it is in this game. Playing WoW I rarely interrupted trash. In SWTOR it's a must. Which isn't surprising considering every class is given a hard interupt with a relatively short CD early on.

 

Also, I've learned to not blow my wad as soon as I build 4 focus. I'd get bored spamming Strike Slash Strike Slash...Being only level 22 I don't have many of the skills needed for a monster burn phase. But I now understand it better.

 

Question though: Should I use Blade Storm or Slash? BS does more damage but Slash can proc Ataru hits. Obviously, use Slash with Zen.

[SturmUndSterne]

The reason I use MStrike after I use Blade Storm is purely because of cooldowns. I can roll the entire rotation again after a Master Strike without any delay. It works for me - but YMMV.

 

As for lower-level, Zen is important but I unhotkeyed it quickly once I obtained Transcendence. I keep Trans up pretty much constantly any time I'm fighting a strong or higher. Since I abandoned Zen so long ago, I can't tell you whether it's any good..

 

As for rotations: when I'm fighting trash mobs, I usually jump, sweep, strike/slash, leg sweep/opportune strike, or find the one Doc has carbonite streamed and pommel strike/slash. I rarely go my full rotation on trash mobs as things die halfway through.

 

As a sentinel, the biggest piece of advice I can give is: Slash is your absolute best friend. It's the best ability we have. Put a couple skill points into the "refunds focus after use" skill at the bottom of the Watchman(?) tree once you have a spare. If you're Ataru also, you can get up to three attacks per Slash.. very nice damage.

 

 

In general terms, I've found it helpful to always try to keep your bar above half when fighting - you never know when you'll need a 4-point Storm or a Sweep. You also never know when you'll NEED that one point for an interrupt kick.

[Kastchey]

lvl 33 , combat specced. I cannot solo 2 silvers that are 3 levelels lower than me without burning all cooldowns.

Me and kira are stuck at a lvl 32 quest, I've a bad suspicion that I should've geared up my droid companion instead, because he has heavy armor and tanking talents.

 

I have mostly blue lvl 31-32 gear and I still cannot kill a gold (which is a part of the class quest). Kira dies as fast as me, she is a shadow (I assume, because of the 2bladed LS) but is not really a tank.

 

I'm thinking of switching to watchman, see if that help any and in the meantime gearing up my droid.

 

I have played every single class to at least 25 and I have a couple of 50s, never before seen anything so fragile.

 

so to update you guys, switched to watchman and used the droid(should've really changed 1 thing at a time to see which one really made the difference) but now I'm pretty much killing everything in sight.

I got the cheap AOE's (at 1 focus each) and I'm going around like a lawnmower with 2 blades spinning. If I ever am in trouble I trigger the zen and last a lot longer, if my droid dies it usually coincides with the enemies dying too. I just wish it didn't pull so much aggro so we could split the damage. I got also doc but he talks all the time so I avoid using him although it is pretty comfy not having to meditate for hp.

[DrHalux]

So here are my 2 cents worth of tips. These tips are more for beginners (i.e. if you read and say "duh" then not for you )

 

First: I have sort of a pack-rat mentality in that I like to save things. I would save medpacks, stims, credits, even long CD abilities. My thought was that "I shouldn't use this now cause i might need it later." I realized that this mentality is not conducive to the MMO genre. Ok so basically my tip for newer players is to use those defensive abilities with long CD often and always have a stim "on"

 

More specifically in PvP: I found that using my defensive abilities in a more proactive way rather than a reactive way enhanced my longevity enormously. Instead of saying "crap I'm taking a lot of dmg now" and then using my defensive abilities. I now think " ok probably gonna take some hits, use a 'weaker' defensive ability and then play it by ear"

 

I am sure for many long time MMO players this seems obvious or almost intuitive. But I am fairly new to MMOs and I am sure there are many sents that are new as well so I wanted to throw out a tip that I learned for them.

 

Philosophical opinion: the more we help each other as sents and less flaming we do, the better the class and community becomes

[Chessack]

Question though: Should I use Blade Storm or Slash? BS does more damage but Slash can proc Ataru hits. Obviously, use Slash with Zen.

 

Keep in mind I have a Watchman build, so that will affect the answer dramatically. Many Watchmen say Blade Storm is not worth using at all and take it off their hotbars.

 

I still consider BS to be situationally useful. I don't know what a Combat or Focus spec would use it for but even as a Watchman, it's a RANGED power, one of the very few we have, so any time a mob is at range and Force Leap is not up yet, I tend to use BS if I have the focus. You can also use it while moving so as I approach, why not do some DPS on the way in?

 

Of course it depends on the focus, on the mobs that are attacking you, on your companion's health/aggro situation, your health, and a bunch of other factors. But in a situation where things are basically under control (as I usually have at least while soloing) and the mob is at range, and I have the focus? I'm going to BS the mob as I approach, if Force Leap is not up again yet.

 

I also use BS sometimes when it's the only thing up, it can do enough damage to complete a kill, and it would take more than one slash to do the kill. If I can kill with one hit, and again I have the focus (especially on the last mob in a spawn), why wouldn't I go for the one-shot instead of the move that will take several swipes?

 

So it is situational. I use it plenty... not as often as something like Leap, but still plenty.

[Melhcior]

So I have been doing some pvp recently on Illum and I have to say...despite popular belief, i'm having a blast. While we may not have the extreme survivability some players may want, we still hit very hard and have the ability to tear through other players.

 

The game was never meant to be 1v1 fights so most of the arguements players have are invalid. Pvp for the most part is a team effort and if played as a team, sentinels are very viable and nice to have around. I dont see how other players are having trouble unless they arent sticking with their team. You will never be targeted first even if you are fairly squishy, any smart player will always attack the healer first.

 

All in all as a Sentinel, try pvp but be smart...stick with your group and use your defensive cooldowns. It is very fun to see someones health drop from 100% to 25% in a matter of seconds.

 

May the force be with you!