# Best use of Sentinels?



## zacktheRipper (Jan 23, 2012)

Hi, I usually play CSM but I just started a Traitor Guard army and i'm getting some Scout Sentinels for cheap. How can I best utilize these walkers in my army? I'm aware that S-Sentinels can outflank..but how should I equip them? I thought perhaps Autocannons/Missile Launchers may work, because no matter where I deploy them I can bring these versatile weapons to field.

I've read through the Guard codex but i'm still unsure about how some of these more specialized pieces work. Generally i'm going to have artillery, manticores and mortars with a wall of soldiers blocking the advances toward them, but i'd like to know the merits of these walkers.  Help?


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## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

outflanking AC sentinals can be a nightmare for troop transports etc. and armoured with plasma cannons are good against infantry MeQ, and ones with HF are good for roasting GeQ's then tying them up in combat it you need to 

not the best advice,and someone will probably contradict me, but its a start 

khrone


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## Trickstick (Mar 26, 2008)

My personal favourite way to use sentinels by outflanking a pair of them with autocannons and hunter-killers. You get a good turn of fire when they come on, able to hurt the side/rear armour enemy vehicles. After that they usually try to charge some heavy weapons to stop the firing.

I find that the HKs are good to give them the most fire power possible when they come in, as they will usually get shot a lot after this.

If you are outflanking them then an astropath is a great idea. They come in sooner and you have more control over which side. However, an astropath is expensive if the sentinels are all he is used for. Some other reserves are needed to make the most out of his point cost. I've been using sentinels to support Al'Rahem, which can be a nice combination.


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## HOBO (Dec 7, 2007)

I find that Armored Sentinels are too expensive for the firepower they bring, so fielding any more than 1 is sucking up points. The higher AV does make them good at tarpitting enemy units, well so long as that enemy unit doesn't have a way to hurt AV12 in close combat (PF's/Meltabombs etc)...could hold that unit in cc for quite a few turns.
If taking them for the firepower having them getting a Cover Save by staying behind another vehicle helps its survivability, Chimeras for example.

I prefer Scout Sentinels because of the Outflanking ability, plus its cheaper than the Armoured version. AC or HF is best I find…outflanks and shoots side/rear armour or bbq'ing Infantry squads. 

I field them in 2's usually, 3 is too many points. Scouts can tarpit but the lesser AV mans it doesn't last as lonf as the Armoured ones, but it's still worth doing it, plus because of the cheapness the pain of losing them isn't a list killer. 

Regardless of what varient you take if you don't have plenty of other vehicles on the board to act as target saturation, neither varient will last long...period.
They also aren't in the top tier of IG units, but thay doesn't mean they don't have a use....or shouldn't even be considered for that matter.


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## shufflingeveryday (Feb 5, 2012)

Im an IG player, and this is what I think: I was never a major supporter of the sentinels as they are squishy and not EXTREMELY effective, at least not under my control. With the extra points left over from no sentinels, guess who has more meat to throw in the infantry grinder! But of course, thats just from my experiences.


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## Skari (Dec 20, 2011)

I love 3 scout sentinels with multi-lasers. Cheap and awesome.


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## Okysho (Oct 19, 2011)

Wanna try something cool?

Load it out with extra armor and put a plasma cannon on it. It's now a cheap artillery unit.


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## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

you call a plasma cannon artillery???? and extra armour comes standerd FYI. for 75 pts you could get a hydra which would be infinatly more usefull


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## Okysho (Oct 19, 2011)

khrone forever said:


> you call a plasma cannon artillery???? and extra armour comes standerd FYI. for 75 pts you could get a hydra which would be infinatly more usefull


lol my friend plays the guard not me. S8 AP2, 36" is pretty good in my books. that's the closest space marines get to artillery.


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## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

its S7 bwt, oh....space marines....we laugh at their "artillery".......S10 AP4 D3 templates 120" is what im talking about


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## Okysho (Oct 19, 2011)

khrone forever said:


> its S7 bwt, oh....space marines....we laugh at their "artillery".......S10 AP4 D3 templates 120" is what im talking about


Sorry, not everyone can afford baneblades and Leman Russ battle cannons. Astartes are S8 for P-Cannons....

What does it matter anyways? It's cheap and makes for a good front line. It's armour piercing, which means more kill guarntees. If it gains more points than it's worth what's the big deal? AP4? I can live through that. Ap2? I need to panic and scramble invul saves.


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## spanner94ezekiel (Jan 6, 2011)

Cover's so widespread in 5th ed that no one really cares about low AP.


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## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

FYI its not a baneblade its a manticore, but same pts as a LRBT.

you lucky people with S8 plasma cannons


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## zacktheRipper (Jan 23, 2012)

Anyways...

..I know the benefit of some of these tactics, and I don't mean to be rude, but I'd like to know the possible tactics I could use with S-Sentinels in particular in regards to an Artillery-centered army?  I don't plan on playing an Armoured regiment, so i'm not taking Vets, Vendettas, Executioners nor anything like that. Its infantry wall w/mortars, two manticores and an artillery batter consisting of 2 bassies and a griffon. So yeah, what use could I squeeze out of outflanking S-Sentinels? This is more a fun army.


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## OddJob (Nov 1, 2007)

The best sentinels (IMNSHO) are armoured sentinels with whatever gun you fancy (plasma cannons for me). Shooting is secondary- their main role is tying up nasty assault units that will otherwise run amok through your lines: genestealers, bloodcrushers, assault squads etc.

You get better bang for your buck elsewhere in the dex, but sometimes you have to pay points for options.


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## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

The problem with taking outflanking assault cannon Scout Sentinels in order to destroy troop transports is that they arrive from reserve, so by the time they get in, those transports will mostly be down the table and plunging into cover or your front line. 

The good news is that you can use them to target artillery or long range units instead, or that one transport with the squad of chaos marines sitting on a home objective nearby.

I personally like to have them on a flank, often armoured but if not, it's no biggie. They can then either foil any outflanking nasties or you can push them forward to get enfiladed autocannon fire onto those pesky tanks and elite infantry. On the other hand, the people I play against seem to really like helping me to do this by putting cover for them around the flanks...


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## Antonius (Jan 10, 2012)

If you opt to run Scout Sents outflanking, then i would almost certainly put searchlights on them. Especially with all the Imotekh cron builds, 3points is hardly a sacrifice, but can make the difference (sacrificial spotters/ scouts - what they're actually built for in terms of fluff), especially as your army relies on ranged ordnance to pound stuff for the footsloggers (true "WW1" IG there). Searchlights really should be free IMO (whoever decided such a piece of wargear should be left off, given that it is the imperial standard wargear??). ACs are probs the best bet, although AC w/HKM could work, maximising the number of high S shots to deal with MCs or transports - make sure whatever you shoot at dies.


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## shaantitus (Aug 3, 2009)

I have a pair of lascannon sentinels with hk missiles. To be honest they have never really performed. However I like the idea of the autocannon variant of the same unit and I am convinced it will perform better. Outflanking AT, specificly for transports and lighter vehicles. The lascannon variant costs too much and its shooting is too inaccurate.


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## Taggerung (Jun 5, 2008)

Okysho said:


> Sorry, not everyone can afford baneblades and Leman Russ battle cannons. *Astartes are S8 for P-Cannons....*
> 
> What does it matter anyways? It's cheap and makes for a good front line. It's armour piercing, which means more kill guarntees. If it gains more points than it's worth what's the big deal? AP4? I can live through that. Ap2? I need to panic and scramble invul saves.


Ummm what??

Also Keep em simple, Multi Lasers and just go after lightly armored transports or groups of infantry. Super annoying unit to fight as marines.


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