Sentinel
Is the Sentinel for attack or defense?
The Sentinel is a light defensive ship, the heaviest defender in the game. It does almost nothing offensively but is built to take damage. Its defense stat does two jobs: it makes the Sentinel hard to kill, and it is the strike strength when the Sentinel fires back.
A heavy defensive ship, slow and hard to push through. The Sentinel holds your star systems against attackers but strikes weakly on the offensive.
| Offense | 2 |
|---|---|
| Defense | 11 |
| Palladium cost | 125 |
| Iridium cost | 100 |
| Build time | 3m 20s |
| Upkeep / day | 55 credits |
| Speed | 27.2 ly/hr |
| Cargo hold | 115 |
| Shipyard level required | 2 |
What it does
Where the Marauder is built to put damage onto someone else, the Sentinel is built to take it. It does almost nothing offensively, but every point of damage it absorbs is damage that didn't land on your other ships or your structures.
It's the slowest hull in the Fleet. Palladium-heavy in construction, so a Sentinel-heavy fleet leans on your Palladium Extractor.
Why it matters
The Sentinel is the heaviest defender in the game. Its defense stat (11) does two jobs at once: when an attacker shoots at it, defense determines how hard it is to kill; when you shoot back, defense is also the Sentinel's strike strength. A wall of Sentinels both refuses to die and fires back hard.
Attackers also see Sentinels in your fleet readout when they send a Probe. A defended system reads differently than an empty one. Sometimes the presence alone is enough to redirect an incoming fleet.
Strategy
Pre-position them. A Sentinel is slow, it doesn't sprint to the front. Park them at the systems you expect to need them, well before the threat arrives.
Stack Sentinels at chokepoints rather than spreading them. The combat formula rewards concentration, every additional Sentinel adds another shooter rolling against every incoming ship, and they all take less damage from a given incoming fleet than they would if you spread them across two systems.
Like the Marauder, the Sentinel is locked until your Shipyard is several levels in.
So Much For Subtlety
Common questions
How should I position Sentinels?
Pre-position them. The Sentinel is the slowest hull in the fleet and won't sprint to the front, so park them at systems you expect to need defended before the threat arrives. Stack them at chokepoints rather than spreading them, since the combat formula rewards concentration.
Do Sentinels deter attacks on their own?
Sometimes. Attackers see Sentinels in your fleet readout when they send a probe, and a defended system reads differently than an empty one. The presence alone can be enough to redirect an incoming fleet. Sentinels are palladium-heavy, leaning on your Palladium Extractor.
