Why the all the hate against Sentries?

Gears 5
#21

I play with friends who like to play at diff levels which are above their game awarness/abilities… So i absolutely depend on sentries to keep us alive and to Victory…

Usualy we have a demo, markman, and gunner. So gunner gets a locker for heavies, demo 1 or 2 lockers (depending on the level of overclock i have) for boomshots, then lots of barriers… And sentries: start with watching flanks, then help the gunner, then sentries sprinkled through the base to deal with fliers…

My guys dont mind, they get kills, and without sentries we’d wipe…

But if i am playing Master Overload with 4 other top players it is 3 barriers, then up to 5 quad lockers, then a sea of barriers… Maybe some shocks…

So it really depends on the team

#22

I don’t mind sentries but it is extremely annoying when they are placed in a position where you can’t get passed them unless they turn out of the way. Especially on harder difficulties and harder waves.

And if sentries are killing everything that just makes for a boring game. I’ll usually go to the other side of the setup but I remember games where there were more sentries than anything else.

#23

Power drain in most cases they’re only required in pretty specific spots at best and in a lot of cases you’re better off putting shock sentries. It’s whatever if you have tons of power flying through waves but this is easier said than done especially with randoms.

#24

The problem is when engineers build too many of them and it gets too crowded. My heart swoons whenever a Boomshot flies in and destroys a whole cluster of them.

Sentries should only be used to support; and as a sort of glorified alarm system - when you hear the machine gun fire, that’s the signal that the enemy is there, and you only need one per entry way. Shock Sentries are far more useful, but even then there are limits - again, one per entry point at most.

#25

Like other said I don’t mind if we have ton of energy to spare and u already have a lvl 4 locker for each team member and u have place enough barriers to “slow” down the enemy.

Now I see so often there are low lvl engineer wanna join incon/master daily, and I can guarantee those will make sentry their first build and I can sure this will be TEAM FAILED! Problem is I also saw lvl 20 engineer build sentry after first 3 barrierS before any locker!

Sometime I think decoy is much needed instead of sentry, esp in those daily game.

If your team can’t take down those enemy with load of barriers and decoys, I don’t think your lvl 1 or lvl2 sentry can make much different.

1 Like
#26

I hate it when engineers buy a level 4 or any locker really straight away, need defences first or there will be no use for the locker because everyone will be dead before it actually gets used.

I remember being in a match engineer used the power to by a demolition a locker level 4 for boomshots then the demolition brought a gl and he brought him another lvl 4 locker which the demolition brought gls to fill up.

2 lockers for one person there are better classes than that now and their shouldn’t just be one class being prioritised

#27

Yeah I hear that. The problem is when I don’t buy a locker early, JD ends up buying and sometimes upgrading a more expensive, and inferior one. So, I’ve taken to being proactive and simply buying the locker straight out to prevent that from happening. Works out when I’m with a good team who responds by depositing to make up for the lost power, then uses the locker, but can backfire on a bad team who doesn’t even understand the locker was meant for them, lol.

#28

Half the time the people who mass purchase sentries don’t even bother with refilling / fixing them, big waste of energy.

1 Like
#29

You are right in that JD shouldn’t be the only class getting a locker, most characters will need a locker slot and JD shouldn’t monopolize them. Still, lockers should be built as soon as possible. Maybe get a few barriers up, but under no circumstances should a sentry be built before lockers. Any engineer who does that can usually kiss any deposits goodbye. If a team can’t get through the first few rounds with low defenses then what’s the point anyway? That team won’t get through the match anyway.

2 Likes
#30

Perfect. That makes me feel less guilty about those early wipes when I didn’t build much. There were times I couldn’t anyway because if I didn’t stand and fight we wouldn’t have even gotten through the first wave.

I was experimenting today with a JD that didn’t need or depend on lockers much. It was working out well for awhile, but unfortunately we had no engi, and the run was doomed. I think we only made it past the first few waves but I saw some potential for the build.

1 Like
#31

Well I’m level 14 or so Engineer, and whenever I’ve done lockers, they don’t get used. Maybe as a low level/beginner, players don’t know what they are for. So yeah, I build about 3-4 level 4 sentries depending on the map. A locker for me and others if they need around wave 6 or so, and of course level 2 blockades.

One question I have is if there are more than one engineer, or anyone, who gets the kills/points from the sentries if another player upgrades them?

#32

There’s a big difference in how the game is played at Beginner/Int/Adv level and Incon/Master level, due to the strength of the various fortifications, player ability/class level and cards and enemy strengths. What might work fortification wise on Beginner won’t work on Master level.

For example the damage output of a level 1 sentry is static, in other words it’s doing the same level of damage at Beginner level as it is at Master level, but the enemies have a LOT more heath on Master than they do on beginner as well as doing a lot more damage. So that same level 1 sentry that’s an effective killing machine on Beginner becomes a door stop that kills nothing and gets destroyed easily on Master.

That’s why Sentries are prevalent on Beginner but rarely actually used on MAster and vice versa for Weapon Lockers.

AFAIK the original builder of the sentry gets the kills from it until its upgraded by someone else who then gets the kills from it.

#33

I think a few can be helpful at times just as a bit of support fire.

#34

there is multiple problems with sentries and the players that get drawn towards them like a moth to a flame.

the problems arise when either inexperienced or selfish players decide to use them, which unfortunately can ruin an entire run.

an inexperienced player can place one too early, in a bad place, or too many. this will waste energy in refilling, repairing or upgrading them, energy that could be used for placing barbed wire down, upgrading weapons lockers which would help players not run out of ammo. and having to move a sentry to get back into the base is unbelievably annoying.

selfish players use them to rack up the kills for absolutely no reason, placing them at spawn points so everyone is just standing about waiting for something to get passed them.

another problem the selfish sentry maker (not just an engineer) causes, is a lack of trust in the team, which causes players to refuse to deposit energy, energy that could be used to protect players and not just repair the sentry thats getting roasted without any protection around it.

one thing for sentry placers to understand is that players can get free ammo from lockers and boxes, our health regenerates and doesnt need repaired and we can move ourselves out of dangerous situations, instead of getting roasted like the previous sentry,

having a team that can get cooldown for their ultimates is much more useful than a team collecting energy for the sentry guns, and what happens when a berserker spawns, the cocky sentry guy gets his stuff destroyed and expects us to bail them out again,

i absolutely agree that they’re useful in the right places, i find them really useful against snatchers in the base, but they’re in the game to protect us, we’re not here to protect them,

sentries are the bread and butter of players you dont want in your team,

1 Like
#35

Sentries make for nice alarm bells in flank zones. Keep them a safe distance away from the entry point & you’re all set. Like a cake, this ingredient can be substituted for a couple of planted grenades if you have keen ears, are a lazy housewife & are a cheapskate with the coins.

#36

its not that bad of a song guys

1 Like
#37

They are overrated. It’s more important to make sure your team is taken care of via lockers, barriers. Sentries are more of a luxury than anything else.

1 Like
#38

MG Sentries are trash. I never build them except if there’s a funky spawn point near or in the base. Even when I have built them, my shock sentries end up getting way more kills while providing much greater utility and the bigger range on it keeps it safe from too much damage.

Many classes want to kill the small flusher enemies. Tactician marks and kills them, it gives him his Resupply. Anchor kills them easily to extend the shield or get Headshot Master stacks. Blademaster gets health and Blade Dancer stacks. I understand some classes like Marksman or Demo don’t want to ever worry about Juvies, so just build based on your team and how well they are doing.

I play the game to kill. I’d rather have no engineer than one that buys MG Sentries. That money could have been used on perks. Even just for airborne enemies I feel it’s not worth the high cost.

3 Likes
#39

So true, i feel the same way.

1 Like
#40

When i engineer all i build is shock sentries never been a fan of mg sentries. MG sentries cost more and is not even useful compared to shock sentries.