I've been torn between the shadow and sentinel, and remember reading that the sentinel class struggled during leveling. Can anyone comment on that? Perhaps you could elaborate a little on the complexities of the class too. I dont mind a challenge, but is it really vein-in-your-head popping?

 

Thanks!

Played in the weekend test got to lvl 18 never fount it hard once quite fast actually felt like i was lvling faster than my consular anyway.

I've been torn between the shadow and sentinel, and remember reading that the sentinel class struggled during leveling. Can anyone comment on that? Perhaps you could elaborate a little on the complexities of the class too. I dont mind a challenge, but is it really vein-in-your-head popping?

 

Thanks!

 

It's not to much of a struggle, I'm finding it easier now then when I leveled one during the 11/11 weekend beta, either because I got better at it or because the early levels were tuned a little....or both...but probably just tuned

 

Still the Trooper I leveled during the Thanksgiving weekend was easy mode=on compared to the Sent at low levels, and you might get jealous watching how quickly they can take down a group. If you are you looking for a very casual game, I don't suggest the Sent, but if you like a little challenge as you say, you'll do just fine.

Also remember that your choice of companion will make a big difference in how easy it is to solo PvE content.

 

As Sentinel is exclusively a damage dealing Advanced Class, it benefits most from companions that are able to tank, as they can last for a while taking damage and giving you time enough to burn down the enemy, and companions that are able to heal, who may not be as tough, but their ability to recover both your and their HP means you have a better shot at outlasting the enemy.

 

T7-O1 makes a decent tank companion and is the first companion you get, while Doc is a strong healer companion, but is the third companion you get. I've heard that a Sentinel paired with Doc becomes a one-team wrecking crew in PvE situations (baring Flashpoints and similar), but I've not had the chance to level a Sentinel high enough to test this.

Thanks for your comments. Easy or not, I think this class fits my playstyle more, so I think I'm going to go for it. As long as I can accomplish my class quests, I'll be happy.

i was able to get to 33 on beta with a sentinel, a couple of the higher end class missions get Difficult so to speak, meaning you might actually need a med pack and or stim pack to get through a point, which is totally acceptable and actually reasonable, it is in no way a difficult class to play except for when trying to do your fair share of DPS in a flashpoint between 10-25

I personally Enjoyed the level progression of the Sentinel up to 26, for any class quest boss mobs I would use both a stim and a medpack, but would expect nothing less of a major storyline mob.

When it comes to pushing through yard trash, I would basically have a 5 second med between 3 mob encounters and still go in with half a focus bar as I Force jump into combat.

So from a survivability perspective you can all but chain pull your way through most scenarios.

Also as has been pointed out both your choice of companion and how you use them is a factor. I was using Kira and I was leaving here to just do her thing. From some of my research since I can see there is still vast room for effect in this