Machine Gun Sentry is one of the very first stratagems available for purchase, being a learning experience for beginners.
Machine Gun Sentry offers high precision at the cost of low RoF, and as a result will rarely waste its round. Its effective range of 75 meters allows for sentry to be placed outside of the heated battle.
Machine Gun Sentry is generally outclassed by the Gatling Sentry, which can dish out a much higher DPS, but not as efficiently. It can also be taken alongside the Gatling Sentry as a secondary gun turret if desired.
Unlike the Gatling Sentry, the Machine Gun Sentry will stop firing while turning to face the next target.
Gatling Sentry lies in the same category as Machine Gun sentry, but at the same time it is a much more deadly weapon.
Gatling Sentry has an incredibly high rate of fire and ammo reserve, but on the battlefield you will see it wasting a portion of its ammunition. This comes as a result of sentry's spread and a need to keep its barrels spinning.
In order to increase the efficiency of this sentry it is recommended to place it relatively close to enemies, although it has the capabilities to handle long-distance firefights.
It is recommended to place Gatling sentries on elevated positions or behind a wall, as it's fast turning speed and inability to stop firing when pivoting, has a tendency to accidentally cut down fellow Helldivers as its acquiring a target in a different direction. For the same reason, it is advised to go prone when taking position next a Gatling sentry.
Autocannon Sentry provides long-distance capabilities while struggling at close range as a result of its low rotation speed.
Due to the Autocannon Sentry's slow turret rotation speed, consider deploying them facing the direction they're suppose to cover.
At point-blank range Autocannon Sentry will not shoot at targets in order not to destroy itself with explosive rounds.
Autocannon Sentry comes with a relatively small ammunition reserve and will not last long battling large groups of small enemies. It is, however, quite effective at eliminating tough units, but will spend almost all of its ammo upon encountering Bile Titan or Factory Strider.
Autocannon Sentry will primarily target heavy units and is capable of staggering Chargers and Bile Titans.
Autocannon Sentry shoots in bursts of three rounds and will not attempt to acquire new target until the burst is finished, even if its current target is liquidated.
The Rocket Sentry comes as a tool against heavy enemy units and will primarily target them. It fires armor penetrating missiles that can damage enemy units severely.
Low rotation speed and rate of fire exclude close combat capabilities for this sentry.
The Rocket Sentry's rockets are unguided and have a slow velocity. Coupled with the slow turning speed, they are not very effective against fast-moving enemies.
The sentry shoots one missile at a time and will not acquire a new target until the current one is destroyed or gets out of it's range.
The rockets have backblast when fired, which will knockdown Helldivers if caught in the blast zone. Do not stand behind a rocket sentry while it is firing.
Mortar Sentry comes as artillery support, with no need for enemies to be in the line of sight. This creates possibility for remote placements outside of heated battle.
Mortar Sentry is not able to shoot closer than a certain distance (to be specified), so if any enemy unit reaches this line, it becomes a deadly threat for the sentry.
Mortar Sentry fires in advance of enemy unit in order to hit it, as its rounds take some time to reach its target (3,5s on average). As such it is strongly recommended to avoid close contact with enemy units within Mortar's range in order not to get hit.
Mortar Sentry will attempt to destroy Automaton Fabricators if one is in direct line of sight, spending large amount of ammunition in process, but eventually succeeding.
Mortar Sentry shoots in bursts of four rounds and will not attempt to acquire new target until the burst is finished, even if its current target is liquidated. Unlike other sentries, it will proceed to fire at the same target until it's down as long as it is possible.
EMS Mortar Sentry is similar to the regular Mortar Sentry, with difference being non-lethal payload that can slow down almost every enemy unit.
EMS rounds fired by this mortar leave an EMS field that remains present for a total of 9 seconds. With the fire rate being a shot each 6 seconds, this sentry is capable to leave enemies stunned for as long as it has ammunition left.
When fully upgraded, EMS Mortar Sentry has a cooldown of 162 seconds and possesses 23 EMS rounds that would take up to 138 seconds to fire. This leaves its owner with approximately 30 seconds without EMS artillery support, considering the mortar is kept safe.
EMS rounds fired by this mortar will damage enemy units on direct hits, giving it a slight chance to deal with minor groups on its own.
The Tesla Tower comes as a close-range sentry that launches electric arcs through multiple enemy units at a time. While it is short ranged, it can surprisingly reach longer distances if its bolts jump through multiple enemies.
Much like the Arc Thrower, Tesla bolts ignore armor, although it is not able to dispatch heavy armored units quick enough.
In order not to trigger the Tesla Towers' sensors, you have to lie down and crawl on the ground. However, it is still not recommended to approach Tesla Towers without Armor that reduces electric damage.
With its low rate of fire, the Tesla Tower will not be able to dispose of a large group quickly enough, leaving itself overwhelmed. It is, however, effective against small to medium sized groups and unlike other towers it has infinite ammunition.
Due to its short range, Tesla Towers are best used when thrown in the middle of an enemy patrol to keep them distracted. Or using your radar to anticipate enemy movement and drop it in an advantageous position.
It is best thrown against patrols that have no heavy armor support, as heavy units will typically destroy the tower all on their own.
Due to having a cooldown of 135 seconds when upgraded, a second Tesla Tower could be called down again earlier, while the first one will remain for a whole 45 seconds (excluding call-in time).
Inconveniently placed Tesla Tower can be harmful for team by blocking necessary paths or positions.
Template:A/FLAM-40 Flame Sentry
General Tips[]
Every sentry has a lifetime of 180 seconds. Past this time, it will go underground regardless of how much ammunition is left in it.
When picking your sentry, keep mission type in mind:
For defence mission consider taking EMS Mortar and some close-range sentries. It may be harmful to bring Mortar Sentry as on such missions there is not plenty of space to run around and kite; on extraction type missions citizens can easily get under its fire.
For operations on Terminids front close-range and horde-oriented sentries could come in handy, so consider bringing Gatling Sentry, Autocannon or Tesla Tower.
On Automatons front enemies you will have to deal with are much slower but tougher at the same time. As such, consider taking Rocket Sentry or Mortar Sentry with you. You could also bring Shield Generator Relay and use it to cover your sentries.
Heavy-armored units will typically prioritize the destruction of nearby sentries over all other threats, it is recommended to focus on them as most heavies can instantly destroy a sentry with a single attack. This however, can be turned to your advantage by turning the sentry into a distraction or lure.
Available Upgrades[]
Engineering bay:
Synthetic Supplementation - Cooldown time for sentries reduced by 10%.
Advanced Construction - Health of sentries increased by 50%.
Rapid Launch System - Tesla Tower's call-in time is negated.
Circuit Expansion - Arcs from Tesla Tower jump to one additional enemy.
Robotics Workshop:
Dynamic Tracking - Deployment time for all turret sentries is reduced to 3 seconds.
Shock Absorption Gel - Ammo for Sentry stratagems is increased by 50%.
Terminids front close-range and horde-oriented sentries could come in handy, so consider bringing Gatling Sentry, Autocannon or Tesla Tower.
