Starcraft 2 Beta New Unit Spotlight: Protoss Sentry - The Basics

The Protoss Sentry is a new ground support unit introduced in Starcraft 2. It has very useful abilities, especially for how early you can make the unit. Most new Protoss players fail to utilize the strengths of the Sentry (or don't even use it at all). It can be a very valuable addition to most army compositions, especially early in the game.

The Basics

The Sentry can be built at the Gateway after you have built a Cybernetics Core. They cost 50 minerals, 100 vespene gas, and 2 psi each. Classified as a Light Mechanical Psionic unit, the Sentry has 40 hit points, 40 shields, 1 armor, and a Move Speed of Normal.

The Sentry's attack skill is called Disruption Beam, and it can attack both ground and air units. It does 6 damage at a range of 5, with a Weapon Speed of Slow.

The Sentry has 3 useful abilities that can be very valuable when used correctly. I will be giving a basic overview of them in this article, and will go more in-depth about the abilities and their uses in my next article.

The first ability is called Force Field. For 50 energy it creates an indestructible barrier on the ground that has a radius of 1.5 and lasts for 15 seconds. This ability can be used several different ways, both offensively and defensively.

The second ability is called Guardian Shield. For 75 energy it creates a protective aura (that has a radius of 4) around all of the units near the Sentry. The Guardian Shield reduces incoming ranged damage by 2.

The third ability is called Hallucination and it must be researched at the Cybernetics Core. For 100 energy you can make a copy of just about any Protoss unit (with some notable exceptions) that lasts for 60 seconds. Hallucinations can not attack or use abilities, and take double the damage that the real unit would. If your opponent has detectors, they will be able to see what is a hallucination, and what is real.

Available Upgrades For The Sentry

There are 3 available upgrades that the Sentry can benefit from at the Forge. Each Ground Weapons upgrade adds 1 damage to the Sentry's Disruption Beam, each Ground Armor upgrade adds 1 regular armor, and each Plasma Shields upgrade adds 1 armor to the Sentry's shields.

Sentry Strengths

The Sentry is strongest when facing ground units, as it can use its Force Field ability to disrupt and divide the enemy ground forces. It is also strong when facing ranged enemies with low damage, as its Guardian Shield can reduce the opposing units' low damage even more.

Sentry Weaknesses

The Sentry has low hit points and shields, and will quickly die if it gets surrounded by fast units. Hellions and speed upgraded Zerglings are the biggest threats to the Sentry, as well as Stalkers with the Blink ability researched. Stalkers with Blink are the only ground unit that can easily get around Force Fields, as they can Blink right through it.

Best Uses Of The Protoss Sentry

The Sentry is best used as support along with other ground units, such as Zealots and Stalkers. By using their Force Fields to divide the enemy's forces, their Guardian Shield to reduce ranged damage to friendly units, and Hallucinations to make the enemy forces waste their attacks, Sentries can make a huge difference in battles.