Warrior / Sentinel in-depth skill guides?

[Cygnus_7]

Hi all - newbie E&B player here.

I'm currently leveling up a TT and a PE - and am also looking to round out my fleet with a Progen Warrior or Sentinel as well.
Fortunately, there are some AMAZING guides written by "Spektyr" (http://www.earthandbeyond.ca/community/coolstuff/) for the TT and JE classes which have fantastic in-depth skill descriptions, recommendations, and end-game experienced comparisons.

As for the Progens, well, I can't find anything useful!
I've scoured the internet looking for player guides, skill guides, forum posts, etc., to help, but keep coming up empty! The only thing I've found is a copy of the Prima Strategy Guide - but that guide came out near release for the original E&B, and has VERY little practical/end-game/experienced data on what skills to take to what level, and WHY.

[b]Does anyone have a link to more in-depth guides for Progen Warrior/Sentinel skills that I can refer to?[/b]
Again, since i'm an E&B "newbie", it's a HUGE help to read about what skills are a waste of time, what skills only need a couple points to be useful, and what skills are absolutely critical (and why, of course).

If it helps, here's a bit more info:
- I already have a TT to build weapons/shields/devices and a JE to mine & build reactors
- I'll be playing this PW/PS 95% solo, and 5% grouped
- I'm looking for a class that is 100% (solo) combat-oriented, since I already have the explorer and trader genres taken care of
- I'm new to the E&B world, never played live

Thanks in advance for any links/advice you folks can provide!

[Terrell [BT]]

If you're looking for 100% combat oriented, PW is the way to go. They're the toughest, and have the most abilty to dish out damage over time. PWs are welcome in groups, and can fight solo.

The PT is also quite good at solo & group combat and can recharge shields, it doesn't have the HDC of the PW, but it has 5 weapons, 4 devices, L5 Critical targeting, L5 Menace, and has 4 build skills including Build Reactors (a JE/JT cannot build Progen Reactors). The PT is due to get at least 1 more skill, as they're short one. What said skill will be is currently unknown. As the PT wasn't around in Live there is little equipment specifically designed for him, but PT can fight well on existing equipment.

You will need the char & starship creator to use any of the 3 classes not in Live (Progen Privateer, Terran Scout, Jenquai Seeker) Instructions can be found at the link below.

[url="https://forum.enb-emulator.com/index.php?/topic/714-install-enb-from-scratch-instructions-rev-7222010/"]Install from scratch, plus new classes info.[/url]

The Sentinel can also fight effectively solo or in groups. and is the best explorer at combat, it's weakness is that it uses ammo but cannot build it's own.


In terms of combat ability the Progen rank, Warrior > Privateer > Sentinel.
Hopefully that would help you with your pick.

[Cygnus_7]

[quote name='Terrell' timestamp='1315239008' post='45724']
If you're looking for 100% combat oriented, PW is the way to go. They're the toughest, and have the most abilty to dish out damage over time. PWs are welcome in groups, and can fight solo.

The PT is also quite good at solo & group combat and can recharge shields, it doesn't have the HDC of the PW, but it has 5 weapons, 4 devices, L5 Critical targeting, L5 Menace, and has 4 build skills including Build Reactors (a JE/JT cannot build Progen Reactors). The PT is due to get at least 1 more skill, as they're short one. What said skill will be is currently unknown. As the PT wasn't around in Live there is little equipment specifically designed for him, but PT can fight well on existing equipment.

You will need the char & starship creator to use any of the 3 classes not in Live (Progen Privateer, Terran Scout, Jenquai Seeker) Instructions can be found at the link below.

[url="https://forum.enb-emulator.com/index.php?/topic/714-install-enb-from-scratch-instructions-rev-7222010/"]Install from scratch, plus new classes info.[/url]

The Sentinel can also fight effectively solo or in groups. and is the best explorer at combat, it's weakness is that it uses ammo but cannot build it's own.


In terms of combat ability the Progen rank, Warrior > Privateer > Sentinel.
Hopefully that would help you with your pick.
[/quote]

Thanks a ton for the great info Terrell, I think the Warrior is certainly the Progen class I'm most interested in playing.
As for skills, what would you (and anyone else) recommend in terms of minimum/maximum for a solo, self-reliant PW?
Since I don't have any end-game experience, I hoping for a template or goal from a veteran so I don't "screw up my skills" as I level.

Beam - 1 (default)
Missile - 0
Projectile - Max?

Enrage - ?
Gravity Link - ?
Repair Equipment - ?
Self Destruct - ?
Shield Inversion - ?
Shield Sap - ?
Combat Trance - ?
Critical Strike - ?
Damage Control - ?

Build Weapons - ?

Device Tech - ?
Engine Tech - ?
Reactor Tech - Max?
Shield Tech - Max?

Thanks again for the help!

[HellHasArrived]

Beam - 1 (default)
Missile - 0
Projectile - Max

Enrage - 1
Gravity Link - to 5
Repair Equipment - 1
Self Destruct - 1
Shield Inversion - 7 for faction grinding then cf back if you need the sp's
Shield Sap - 7
Combat Trance - 7
Critical Strike - 7
Damage Control - 7

Build Weapons - 7

Device Tech - max
Engine Tech - max
Reactor Tech - Max
Shield Tech - Max

Thats basically how I have my PW...

[Cygnus_7]

[quote name='HellHas' timestamp='1315325926' post='45780']
Beam - 1 (default)
Missile - 0
Projectile - Max

Enrage - 1
Gravity Link - to 5
Repair Equipment - 1
Self Destruct - 1
Shield Inversion - 7 for faction grinding then cf back if you need the sp's
Shield Sap - 7
Combat Trance - 7
Critical Strike - 7
Damage Control - 7

Build Weapons - 7

Device Tech - max
Engine Tech - max
Reactor Tech - Max
Shield Tech - Max

Thats basically how I have my PW...
[/quote]

Thanks for the setup advice HellHas!
Though, according to the sunrise character planner (http://tun0.com/enb/index.htm) there aren't enough skill points to make that setup - even with Shield Inversion CF'd to 1.
What skills marked "max" can I scale back on to save points?
Also, is Shield Inversion only good for leveling, and then I can CF it back safely at L150? Does it become useless at L150? Edited September 6, 2011 by Cygnus_7

[ryleyra]

[quote name='Terrell' timestamp='1315239008' post='45724']The Sentinel can also fight effectively solo or in groups. and is the best explorer at combat, it's weakness is that it uses ammo but cannot build it's own.
[/quote]

Agreed on this. This is probably the one thing that makes the Sentinel more of a team oriented class, and makes it work best in an alliance with a TT (or one of the other builders) to supply it with ore. If you're going for 95% solo, the Warrior or Privateer might be a better choice.

What makes the Progen so much fun to play, though, is that even the weakest of them is pretty much the equivalent of the OTHER race's warriors. You'll never have to worry about combat...

[HellHasArrived]

You can hold off on engines for awhile as speed isn't your main concern...

My PW used a L5 Puk's Wing for a long time...

[HellHasArrived]

Shield inversion does have its uses... It's just not a priority.

[Cygnus_7]

Thanks for the clarification HellHas, much appreciated!

[snotty]

Critical targeting, combat trance and shield sap are the core fighting skills and are usually upgraded whenever it is possible. Gravity link is only usefull when you can get lvl5.
Skills you can skip untill past 150 are hull damage controll and even like HellHas said engine past level 5(past 120 or so go straight for lvl8,no usefull engines at 6 and 7)
Build weapons is debatable for you since you can build your ammo on your tt anyway.

so what you then get is:

Beam - 1
Missile - 1
Projectile - Max
Enrage - 1
Gravity Link - to 5
Repair Equipment - 1
Self Destruct - 1
Shield Inversion - 1
Shield Sap - 7
Combat Trance - 7
Critical Strike - 7
Damage Control - 1
Build Weapons - 1
Device Tech - max
Engine Tech - 5
Reactor Tech - Max
Shield Tech - Max

with 57 skill points left to spend, i went for engine 8, and shield inversion 6 and build weapons 7

[HellHasArrived]

I can say build weapons is better to have then not have as you will be building a lot of ammo... If you don't mind having to trade them over constantly then yeah I guess it's fine.

[EnderTheXenocide]

Thanks for the info everyone

[Noxmire]

A lot of people underestimate the Sentinel in combat. Sure, it only has 4 guns to the PW's six, lacks HDC, and doesn't get Shield Sap, but they're still extremely formidable for an exploration class. So formidable, in fact, that they're the only class in the game that can kite mobs without running [i]away[/i].

The main reason for this is [b]Menace[/b]. Menace is an [i]incredible[/i] skill to use on any opponent that is not outright immune to it. When used, it near-completely disables an enemy, leaving them able to do nothing but turn and run as fast as their impulse engines can take them. It works equally well on both organic and mechanical foes, stops enemies from shooting or using skills, and conveniently forces them to present their backside to you, allowing you to do whatever you want to them until it wears off. At higher levels, you can send several enemies fleeing in mortal terror at once.

Combined with [b]Gravity Link[/b], Menace allows you to follow an enemy at your leisure, blasting away without fear of retaliation. Rather than being forced to hang back at maximum range and reverse-impulse, or equip missiles and burn at full-impulse away from a mob like a Terran, you can control both the distance, speed, and direction of the encounter from start to finish. You often will finish one-on-one fights totally unscathed, and with high Menace, you can even come out of multi-mob fights intact.

What often surprises people is that, unlike all other Explorers, you have access to [b]Critical Targetting[/b], due to being Progen. As a result, even though the Terran Scout might also have four weapon slots, you can outpace his combat damage due to crits, and you blow every non-Warrior class except the Privateer out of the water in terms of damage output (the Privateer, on the other hand, does the same to you by sharing your Progen advantages and having a 5th weapon slot).

In theory, you also gain some DPS from [b]Repulsor Field[/b], allowing you to return some of the damage an enemy inflicts on you. In practice, this isn't so much the case; enemies are usually too busy running from you to fire back, and so Repulsor Field tends to go wasted when soloing. It is, however, a great buff to share with friends in a group; PWs in particular enjoy it, due to their habit of getting chewed on by enemies. If it were up to me, I'd swap the PW's Shield Sap with the PS's Repulsor Field - let the Sentinel have a skill that is used offensively and is supportive, and let the Warrior have a skill that's used defensively and turns their tankiness into a weapon.

You also have an amazing emergency button for sour situations in the form of [b]Power Down[/b]. Power Down functions almost identically to Cloak, with two major exceptions. One, you can never move while using it (a significant disadvantage). Two, at higher levels, you continue to regenerate Reactor and Shield energy (a significant advantage.) Sentinels with high Power Down can often win wars of attrition with enemies by simply fighting until they're a few hits from taking hull damage, Powering Down to regenerate (since Progen Lv9 shields recover stupid-fast), then powering back up and continuing to fight. It also provides you with a near-foolproof escape plan. If you find yourself under fire from enemies you can't take, simply power down, target a distant nav, and warp.

As a result, Sentinels are the kings of crowd-control, and can usually scare off or fake out anything that they can't outright out-gun. They do have some significant disadvantages, though. Chief among them are mobs that are immune to Menace, particularly boss mobs. Menace is their primary crowd control skill - without it, a Sentinel is merely a poor man's PW in combat. Sentinels also can't build weapons, which means they also can't construct ammo; they and the Terran Scout are the only two ammo-using classes that can't. This means you're gonna either have to use 100%-quality shop-bought stuff, or be reliant upon other players for 200%-quality ammo. You also have to be sure not to get in over your head; while [i]heavily[/i] armed for an explorer-class, and durable to boot thanks to Lv9 Shield Tech, you're still nowhere near as tanky as a genuine PW, or even a PP; you've got to be a bit more careful about how you pick your fights. Fortunately, your primary two skills are designed to let you do [i]just[/i] that.

You may notice that things are... inconvenient, for a Sentinel. Sentinels are heavily reactor-dependent (Menace & Repulsor Field is expensive), yet progen-friendly reactor builders are somewhat rare among the playerbase, and reactor-improving devices that aren't Jenquai-only or Progen-restricted are tough to come by. You'll need to get creative, and look for important prospecting buffs (Skill Energy Conservation, Reactor Recharge Increase, Reactor Capacity Increase, Shunt to Reactor) on gear other than devices. On the bright side, you have the easiest time of any exploration class when it comes to shredding pesky ore-field guardians or pop-rock mobs, due to Menace and the sheer level of firepower you can bring to bear.