How to Use Sentinel in Destiny 2
The Sentinel, the new Void subclass for Titan in Destiny 2, replaces the Defender from the original. While the Defender was very much a set and forget it kind of class (just know where and when to set your Ward of Dawn), the Sentinel is a lot deeper and is arguably one of the most complicated subclasses you can use. This is mostly thanks to its super ability, Sentinel Shield. When you activate it, there are a lot of different abilities you can perform.
First, fire it up like any super with L1+R1/LB+RB. Now you’re fired up and ready to roll. You’ll have two shields that you can throw while your super is activated. The shield is an incredibly powerful attack that can bounce between enemies rapidly. It can do decent damage on a single target, but it’s more effective in a group. Press L1/LB to launch the shield but be warned: it does require a bit of aiming. It will home in on a nearby enemy as long as you get it close and then automatically bounce around, but you can’t just throw it anywhere, you need to line up a decent looking shot. If you max the Code of the Aggressor path for the Sentinel, you can get an additional shield throw.
Besides the Shield Throw, you can hold L2/LT to create a barrier shield to protect you from incoming fire in front of you. This is effective when you want to close the distance between you and your enemy but it’s too dangerous or to hold down a spot for yourself and allies. This burns your super bar, but can be turned on and off at will, it’s not one time use like the Ward of Dawn was. Finally, your regular attack can be used to R1/RT and is very effective against single targets or to rapidly take down groups of trash enemies in one shot.
If you follow the Code of the Protector, you can replace your Sentinel Shield with Ward of Dawn by holding down your super activation rather than just pressing it. Keep in mind this uses up your super entirely and you won’t have the Weapon/Blessing of Light that the Defender had (only Armor of Light while in the bubble). So use this when total defense is paramount like holding a point from an onslaught in all directions or to rescue a downed enemy safely.
Aside from Sentinel Shield. You have a few other abilities at your disposal. There are your grenade abilities that can be activated by pressing L1/LB. You have Magnetic, Voidwall and Suppressor grenades to choose from.
Your melee attack will vary depending on your code. If you choose Code of the Protector, you’ll get Defensive Strike which functions very similar to Force Barrier in that it gives you an overshield after killing an enemy, but is better in that it also applies that overshield to nearby allies. The Code of the Aggressor gives you Shield Bash which can be activated sprinting for a short distance and allows you to lay down a powerful shield attack which does a lot of damage and disorients enemies.
As far as what Code to go for, if pure defense and support utility is your goal, then you should go for Code of the Protector, as it still gives you decent offensive options but adds nice defensive tools with Defensive Strike and Ward of Dawn. If you want to be aggressive though, Code of the Aggressor is for you. You’ll clear out enemies way faster with that third Shield Throw and you’ll have access to much quicker super and grenade recharges.
That does it for how to play the Sentinel in Destiny 2. Be sure to check our Destiny 2 wiki for more information on the game.
