So I came back to the game a couple of months back, had left near patch 2.4. My main has always been a Combat Sentinel.

 

I find that since coming back it's become extremely hard for me to survive in warzones. Without a healer I barely last a couple of seconds under focus fire.

 

Is the Sentinel class significantly squishier than it used to be, or am I forgetting to do something obvious? Is there anyone who can give me tips on how to spec utilities, gear up, and use DCDs, etc effectively?

I have to say that if you have been gone that long, that you may be a little rusty. I would recommend you to keep practicing our survivability has improved.

I got a helpful suggestion from a player ingame today. Basically I have been facetanking with my Sentinel like I used to back in 2.4. Back then burst wasn't as high as it is now, so I could get away with just rotating my cooldowns.

 

He showed me that I should skirt around the outsides of a fight, and use GBTF and Force Camo to reset pressure as many times as I need to. Helped a lot.

As far as utilities go, I always run; Debilitation, Adamant, Stoic, Ardor, Defensive Roll, Fleetfooted and Enduring.

 

In terms of not dying quickly in actual matches; don't face tank (which you already found out). Aside from that, what defensives to use depends on the opposing team layouts... If there's heaps of AP PTs, I'd save Camo and blade blitz for their grenades, I basically always pop GbtF with a medpac, spam Transcendence just about on cooldown.

 

Using focus targets and helping nail other people will also help. Other than that, I can't offer much help with Combat - I typically run concentration these days with all the cc flying about or Watchman because of reasons.

it's all about perspective i guess. i run a mara, a sorc, and a sniper in pvp, and of the three, the mara is by far the toughest. not even close really. notice i didn't say the hardest to kill, because the sorc, of course, can take his ball and go home pretty much anytime he likes. that takes him out of the fight, though, and isn't really the same thing. imo, maras have it really good right now, compared to other classes. Edited June 3, 2016 by sumquy

So I came back to the game a couple of months back, had left near patch 2.4. My main has always been a Combat Sentinel.

 

I find that since coming back it's become extremely hard for me to survive in warzones. Without a healer I barely last a couple of seconds under focus fire.

 

Is the Sentinel class significantly squishier than it used to be, or am I forgetting to do something obvious? Is there anyone who can give me tips on how to spec utilities, gear up, and use DCDs, etc effectively?

 

Mara/Sent has IMO weak staying power... Basically hunt like a Wolf, pick off weak animals in the back and only engage 1v1 when you have the advantage and it will be a fast fight...if reinforcements arrive you have no way to flip the fight and regain health...Unless a health node is nearby.

 

Yes, Mara/Sent is tough to a degree but have no longevity...once their health is down the fight is straight over......many other classes can reset completely or regain substantial amounts of health as they fight. Mara/Sent cannot regain health or reset a fight (Force Camo its situational) so you have to engage fights with that in mind.

 

Gear up: Alacrity is going to vary per spec but 6 to 700 is fairly standard. 1400 to 1500 crit is pretty standard and the rest into Power.... Accuracy is generally not prioritized in PvP...I don't go above 101%..

Edited July 29, 2016 by Soljin

Survivability: https://www.twitch.tv/adrenalinepvptwitch/v/82221151

 

Highlighted that tonight just for this thread :wea_03:

Edited August 7, 2016 by SVTCarnage

Disclaimer: Not doing ranked with Sentinel, and winning only 40 % ranked with other classes.

 

 

• Old (since pre-3.0): Pacify is very powerful when used situationally in knowledge of other specs, for example after the mad laugh of a tactics vanguard to dodge the high impact bolt, against blade dance, boltstorm, against sharpshooter any time etc.
  
• Old (since pre-3.0): If none of the "strong" defensives like guarded by the force or pacify are active, try to always have 1 weak defensive on (saber ward, rebuke, warzone adrenal) unless not attacked at all. That is more effective than using all 3 in a panic at once. Unless the fight is too short to use them in sequence.
  
• guarded by the force is now best used when heavy damage is coming in, NOT as a last second survival. Often for example when you have to play tank and storm in first, use it right away while still at 100 % health.
  

 

Please correct if that is stupid.

Mara/Sent has IMO weak staying power... Basically hunt like a Wolf, pick off weak animals in the back and only engage 1v1 when you have the advantage and it will be a fast fight...if reinforcements arrive you have no way to flip the fight and regain health...Unless a health node is nearby.

 

Yes, Mara/Sent is tough to a degree but have no longevity...once their health is down the fight is straight over......many other classes can reset completely or regain substantial amounts of health as they fight. Mara/Sent cannot regain health or reset a fight (Force Camo its situational) so you have to engage fights with that in mind.

 

Yea especially vs sorcerers/sages, operatives you don't want to engage them 1v1 as Carnage/Combat without your cds up. That's generally speaking, depends on what cds they have up, and how good they are has a lot to do with it. Carnage/Combat is a great hit & run class, the spec can jump in and take out one person surrounded by two other people (sometimes) and then you have mad dash, cloak and pred to totally get out of combat.

 

The spec is really strong 1v1 with all cds up vs all other classes/specs, with sorcerers/sages and operatives being the toughest fight. You won't win a 1v1 with a decent operative/scoundrel, and a good sorcerer/sage is going to be tough. A decent sorcerer/sage is beatable. A bad Operative is beatable.

 

It's a very mobile spec, your most damaging abilities are ranged, you want to kite constantly playing the spec. Vs a good sorce/sage, I will try to get out of combat when they bubble in a warzone or even a arena. Hug a building/object, run away, whatever you can do to stay out of combat and get out of combat heals. You haft to play like a dirty rogue, but one that has no heals, and or permanent stealth.

 

Syncing with other dps your really strong, and when your getting heals your the most devastating spec in the game. Hence why carnage has no self combat heals outside of the saber ward talent which is ok.

Edited August 22, 2016 by SVTCarnage