Sentry X-58/Tips & Tactics

Playing As:

 * Stacking several mines in front of the enemy turret can allow you to quickly kill droids. Use this tactic in conjunction with Tactical Vest for a healing burst.
 * When you activate your Black Hole Sun, the bar that pops up indicates the amount of damage you can absorb. When it is completely full, your shield will break and won't absorb anymore damage, causing you to take full damage as normal, so be careful!
 * Since Sentry X-58 is supposed to absorb damage, consider upgrades that improve his sustain to make up for the lost health. Med-i'-can, Tactical Vest and Ejection Seat all help him accomplish that. Alternatively, you can make him tougher and able to take more punishment with upgrades like Microfilm and Power Pills Turbo.
 * Similarly to Coco's Ball Lightning, Black Hole Sun can be detonated earlier with a second press of the button.
 * With Black Hole Sun, Sentry can activate his shield and tank turrets for his team (even droids!) while building up damage for the actual black hole at the same time. The downside to this strategy, however, is that damage from turrets and environmental hazards such as the Inferno Device on AI Station 205 only provide 50% damage to Black Hole Sun.
 * Keep in mind that Black Hole Sun ignores terrain.
 * Don't use Black Hole Sun's shield just to collect damage: It can also be a powerful escape tool as not only it may discourage enemies from attacking you, but also makes you more durable while it's up. Night Vision Spywatch and Microfilm will make this even more effective.
 * You can store the collected damage from Black Hole Sun indefinitely, but keep in mind that the damage you collected will decay after a while, eventually returning to base levels of damage.
 * When you die, you will lose the collected damage from Black Hole Sun. If you are cornered, use it to escape or as a desperation move before dying.
 * If you were unable to collect enough damage for a powerful black hole, it might be a good idea to just "throw it away" sometimes, so you can try and get a more powerful one.
 * When shooting Black Hole Sun at enemies, try to make the enemies be at the center of its AoE. The gravity is more powerful in the center than on the edges.
 * Fire Black Hole Sun at a vulnerable ally who's trying to flee to discourage enemies from pursuing them.
 * If your enemy has a dash-like move (such as Pounce or Splash Dash), save your Black Hole Sun for when it is on cooldown).
 * Teleport Beacon is a very versatile skill that may be used offensively or defensively even without upgrades: Put it near creeps to grant you quick access to healing, on chokepoints and mid-lanes to ambush enemies or for a quick return from the shop, or at your own base for a quick getaway when backdooring, among other things.
 * Teleport beacon can be used to reveal hide areas, but it won't show enemies who are inside it on the minimap.
 * Teleport Beacon has a white outline on the minimap so players can easily tell where it is. With some map awareness, it can become a powerful ganking tool.
 * Teleport Beacon will remain in place indefinitely until you teleport to it. Not even death causes it to despawn. Think twice before placing it too deep into enemy territory though, as you may find yourself with a beacon that can be very dangerous to teleport to.
 * While Teleport Beacon can cover pretty much any distance, be wary of teleporting to a beacon you can't see, especially when low on health. Enemies may be lying in wait in a nearby hide area, or they may have booby-trapped it (Mines, grid traps and weedlings are all examples of abilities that can be used to booby trap a beacon).
 * If you are unhappy with the location of your Teleport Beacon or changed your mind about it, don't be afraid to teleport to it just to despawn it. Keep in mind it has a long cooldown, though.
 * Keeping your Teleport Beacon a little closer to the enemy side on the lane may force them into a bad situation when engaging your team, but beware as it can also do the same to you, once you teleport in.
 * When using Teleport Beacon offensively, place it in areas your enemies have to move through, such as chokepoints and some glass platforms. That way you can ensure they take the damage/debuffs when you arrive at its location.
 * Place Teleport Beacon on top of the worm button on Sorona for instant worm kills!
 * When using Circuits Of Time, leave decoys inside Hide Areas to reveal what's inside of them and to surprise your enemies.
 * The Photon Mine Launcher excels in area control, being able to deny the enemy team the necessary space to manouver around the lane properly.
 * Even if you miss a shot with the Photon Mine Launcher, the explosive will still remain mid-air for a short while, so try to lure your enemies into these when dueling them.

Playing With:

 * Save your burst for when Sentry traps enemies with Black Hole Sun: It will be much easier to land.
 * Coordinate with Sentry to ambush enemies with Teleport Beacon.
 * If you have any form of healing power, stay around Sentry to negate the damage he will inevitably take when building up damage for Black Hole Sun.
 * Use displacement and knockback effects to throw enemies into mines from Photon Mine Launcher or into a black hole.
 * Consider running into Sentry's beacon and calling for help if you need it. He might just teleport to you.

Playing Against:

 * It is very important not to attack Sentry while his shield is up: You will be increasing the power of his Black Hole Sun that way.
 * Alternatively, if Sentry is really low on health you might want to attack him and kill him before he can shoot his black hole. Keep in mind that it might be a risky move, however.
 * Sentry has a very large health bar, a shield which can be upgraded and a few ways of regaining health. Consider using amplify damage to make him easier to kill.
 * Watch out if Sentry has a purple bar under his health bar: that means he has a black hole ready. The size of the bar indicates how much damage it will deal. Try and keep your distance from him, if that's the case.
 * Avoid staying too close to your teammates if Sentry has a Black Hole Sun ready.
 * When playing as a character with predictable burst (such as Clunk or Derpl), it might be a good idea to focus on sustained damage via the autoattack, since it can be more easily controlled.
 * Damage Over Time effects are very powerful against Sentry: not only they give very little damage for his Black Hole Sun, but they also prevent him from teleporting to his beacon.
 * If you are using cooldown upgrades, it might be a good idea to use your burst in order to bait Sentry into activating his shield and then missing him on purpose: Your burst will probably be off cooldown again before his Black Hole Sun is.
 * Booby-trap Sentry's beacon to turn the tables on him, but beware: He may anticipate this and activate his shield before teleporting to it.
 * If you suspect Sentry wants to flee, keep attacking him to prevent him from using Teleport Beacon to get away.
 * Silencing effects can greatly aid you in bringing Sentry down, since he cannot activate his shield, shoot a black hole or teleport away while under this effect.
 * Nauts that are able to shield their teammates from damage such as Genji and Deadlift may reduce the effectiveness of Sentry's Black Hole Sun.