Sentinel

The Sentinel is one of the unlockable light classes in the game Tribes: Ascend. It can be unlocked for 100 Gold or 7200 XP.

Description
The Sentinel is the sniper class of Tribes: Ascend and excels at long distance engagements thanks to this class' hitscan sniper weapon: the BXT1 Rifle. This rifle must be shot while zoomed in or it will only deal 10 damage. While zoomed in, the rifle will charge to an increasingly more powerful shot. This mechanism makes this class ideal for taking out fleeing cappers, picking off weakened foes and disrupting the enemy's flag stand. The Sentinel's secondary weapon is a projectile based pistol that bounces off surfaces: the Nova Blaster. It is difficult to aim at first and the shot must be lead to use it effectively, but with decent aim it can be devastating with its whopping 350 damage per hit. The Sentinel also has the optional Falcon, which is a very effective SMG.

This class has a Drop Jammer as it's deployable. The Drop Jammer can be utilized for hiding the Sentinel's sniping location or placed on the flag stand to reveal Infiltrators from stealth and camouflage friendly defenders. The Claymore Mines can also be used either for personal, asset, or objective defense while the T5 Grenade is more offensively oriented.

The Sentinel has a few choices when going onto the field. Both the BXT1 Rifle and the Phase Rifle will restrict his movement ability, the BXT1 Rifle requires he remain scoped for 3 seconds to get the maximum damage on his shot, while the Phase Rifle Will use 90 of his energy to fire a maximum damage shot. In accordance to his rifle choice, the Sentinel may also want to consider his pack choices, opting for more energy generation with his Energy Recharge Pack, or going for more team support with the Drop Jammer. It should be worth noting the charge up time on the BXT1 Rifle; a fully charged shot will do 500 damage, and it takes 3 seconds to fully charge a shot. The Phase Rifle, on the other hand, does 510 damage scoped or not, but it requires 90 energy. If you choose the Phase Rifle, it is recommended to take the Energy Regeneration Pack.

In order to give cappers a bigger time frame before they get shot by Sentinels again, killing a Sentinel adds five additional seconds to his respawn timer, regardless of him switching to another class while dead or not. Therefore, in order to give the team capper enough leeway to escape without damage, killing the Sentinel in conjunction with the capper grabbing the flag is usually essential.

Skins
The Sentinel currently hase the following skin(s):
 * Specter → Video Showcase

Armor Upgrades
(15000 XP Mastery) (P) - Primary Slot (S) - Secondary Slot
 * 1) -25% Regeneration Delay
 * 2) +10% Run Speed
 * 3) +25% Health Regen Rate
 * 4) +100 Health
 * 5) +10 Energy

Recommended Perks
Perk Slot 1


 * Bounty Hunter is ideal for you in just about every way, considering Sentinels have the most reliable way to kill people in the game. With an extra 200 credits per kill, you can get ammo supply drops in record time and keep the enemy flag clean with tactical strikes.


 * Looter is another option if you want to be able to be all over the map, instead of staking out in one place. Problem is, once you kill someone, you actually have to get over there to pick up their ammo drop. Fortunately with looter you'll only need to do this once before you're basically back to full.


 * Safety Third makes your claymores deadly and numerous. If you often get hunted down, this will help you cover your exits. Also fantastic with the Motion Mines; additional death to cappers is always good.
 * Close Combat is a useful passive ability if you tend to camp out in one particular area, where enemy light units, particularly Infiltrators, will target you. Normally, single hit from an enemy melee will kill you instantly, and spending long periods of time scoped in makes you more vulnerable to being flanked in this fashion. Having this melee resistance will allow you to either make a successful escape, or repel your attacker.
 * Rage is a decent choice for capper-killers, as it instantly refills your energy with the Phase rifle/SAP20, allowing you to get one full-charge shot off without having to wait.

Perk Slot 2
 * Both the Ultra Capacitors in general gives you a bit more maneuverability, also gives you extra damage on the Phase Rifle/SAP20. There really aren't any "essential" things in Slot 2, though.
 * Survivalist gets an honorable mention since it will allow you to get away from the ammo drop faster. The health gain is not substantial enough to make a difference though.
 * Quick Draw is also an honorable mention since it will allow you to quickly respond to attackers such as backstabbing Infiltrators. It also allows you to place Claymores much more quickly, allowing to return to your camping spot ASAP.

Video Guides
Sentinel Guide by Roxton (CogsandInk)

Beginner Sentinal Guide by ZeroMethanol (DoubleCrossedGaming)

Beginners Sentinel Guide by Buzz (NeverStormGaming)

Sentinel Class For Beginners by GrouchyGus