TGMC:Sentinel

Introduction

So you're a Sentinel. What exactly is there to do? What are your goals? Don't fret, your job is rather simple, and once you have the basics down, you'll find that your tools are well equipped for more than just guarding hosts. Your Neurotoxic Spit may be weak by itself, but when paired with any of the other melee castes, you can help down marines, and then have your partner completely put them out of commission. Because of this, the Sentinel can help support combat inside and out of the hive, as long as you never walk alone.

The Sentinel's job is simple. You are supposed to guard the infected hosts from escaping. They have guns, knives, fire, grenades, and several other nasty things that will ensure their escape if they aren't quickly wrangled and re-nested. Best case scenario, they kill themselves and you just lost a precious larva. Worst case scenario, they escape, free any other hosts, and gun down the queen while you're turned away. Thankfully, your Neurotoxic Spit is usually enough to down them long enough to re-nest them.

One last ability you possess is your Corrosive Acid. Though you cant spit it at your foes, you can use it to melt anything of use to the marines. Your acid is generally weak and will take an excruciatingly long time to melt just about anything, but if you see a gun or a flare lying around, you might be prudent to melt it anyways.

Doing Your Job

As a Sentinel, your Neurotoxic Spit allows you to keep your targets down, though not for very long. If yourself being pursued, you can always use your spit to slow down your pursuers and hopefully lead them away from the nest. You generally shouldn't be outside of the hive as long as there's hosts that need guarding, as you are best suited for the job. When marines push into the hive, try to partner up with a more offensive class to knock down marines. When knocked down, a marine will drop their weapon, giving a brief moment of opportunity for whatever combat caste you've assisted to go in for the kill. Your spit can also be used as a disengagement tool and can give you the chance you need to flee and recover. Remember, the longer you live as a Xeno, the stronger you become, so fleeing is not just tactical, it's smart.

Your small size allows you to crawl through vents. Alt Click a vent to begin entering it. If you get a message that the vents are disconnected, a-help, as it's a known issue and the sooner it's fixed the sooner the rest of the hive can benefit. If you're lucky enough to spawn early, you may use them to grab and devour hosts, or even aid in the capture of the spare survivor. Regardless, you should always be keeping yourself busy with melting tools, barricades, medical tools, supplies, and anything else you think could be used by the enemy. Lamps should be melted to deny marines light, and if you see any APCS, you should slash them until you get a message that sparks fly out. Be careful not to get caught alone, and pay attention to the hivemind so you aren't caught off-guard when the marines land. If you are the first person to see them, you should shout them out over the hivemind, and tell how many, where they are, and where they appear to be headed.

Once a few marines are caught, your job becomes important. You take up a guarding position to keep them down. While you could be off fighting, you'd be forcing a stronger xeno to stay behind while you fight, or risk letting the hosts get free. When a marine breaks free, they will suddenly stand up. It's important that you spit at them to keep them down, grab them (3 in hot key mode) and then tackle them as you secure them (2 in hot key mode). An guns, grenades or knives they drop in the process should be melted; don't worry, it wont hurt the marine, even if they're bathing in acid. If for any reason you need to un-nest a host, click on the nest, not the marine. When a marine kicks the bucket, through fluke or birth, take them out of the nest and use harm intent on them. Any lights they have will be slashed and turned off, returning the hive to its safe, dark space.

Tips and Tricks

- You're ideal for after battle clean up. Melt any guns, knives, lights, flares, and tools you find lying around after the marines have backed off.

- Marines with big guns are bigger targets. Spit, stun, and melt their guns. Specialist gear, flamethrowers, and RPGs make for delightful guns to melt and will cause the salt to flow like tears.

- Even if you get a stun off, don't get cocky and go in there to slash them yourself. You might just eat lead.

- Your speed lets you make an effective ambusher when you partner with a runner. Flank the marines, stun the one in the back, and have the runner drag them off screaming and gurgling in pain.

- One of the strongest and most surprising partnerships comes from a Sentinel Sentinel pair. Have one lay down the stuns while the other slashes and stuns anyone who attempts to rescue them. If you act fast, you can even put a facehugger on them.

Evolutions and Upgrades

As you upgrade, your combat skills are mostly the ones reaping the stat gain. You become faster, hit harder, regenerate and store more plasma, and take more hits. The best boon of all is your spit upgrading. While the stun will always be the same, you'll find yourself spitting faster and further, to the point where you become almost machine-gun like.

As a Sentinel, you can evolve into a Spitter. Spitters start out slower, but gain more health, can spit damaging acid as well as Neurotoxin, and their Corrosive Acid becomes stronger, and melts objects much much quicker.