TF2: Why All the Mini-Sentry Hate?

[bojackx]

I hate it because 90% of all the engineers that uses the mini sentry always uses the frontier justice which is very annyoing and cheap.

If they find it easier to kill you with it than any of the alternatives, why wouldn't they use it? That's just common sense.

OT: I've never understood the hate either. I don't really like playing as the engineer (and there's always plenty of them on the team anyway so it doesn't really matter) but the Gunslinger did make it slightly better for me. If people complain about others using mini-sentries, and they're working, then those complaining have nothing to complain about, so I don't know, just ignore them?

 

[Cowabungaa]

That said, on MvM, STOP USING WRANGLER.

Except for maps where an Engie can set up a gun far far away from the bot's spawn point while still maintaining a line of sight. Much safer that way, especially against those dreadful Rapid Fire Demomen. Their range is just...unholy.

But yeah, as for the Mini-Sentry on MvM, as you can get one anyway just keep the regular sentry. It just does so much more damage, has more range and way more health especially when upgraded. During regular play it just makes Scouts cry.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Because without effort, an Engineer can quickly create an almost instant-building, damage tanking (while building), distracting, perfect aiming, large area of effectiveness, hard to hit, versatile, little damage falloff, knockback inducing building with as much health as a lower class. If the sentry is destroyed, that Engineer isn't going to give a shit, he can build another without having to find more metal -- and on the front lines, metal is easy to come by from fallen weapons and no other class needing to use metal. And the Gunslinger gives more health.

If they nerfed the health size of the minisentry to, say, fifty HP, and increased the metal cost a small amount, I'd like it more.

And in MvM, the Mini-sentry quite simply doesn't have the raw, sustained, repairing damage output of a regular sentry. The powerup to build a disposable is nice, but it's not worth it over a regular sentry upgrade.

 

[yuval152]

I hate it because 90% of all the engineers that uses the mini sentry always uses the frontier justice which is very annyoing and cheap.

If they find it easier to kill you with it than any of the alternatives, why wouldn't they use it? That's just common sense.

OT: I've never understood the hate either. I don't really like playing as the engineer (and there's always plenty of them on the team anyway so it doesn't really matter) but the Gunslinger did make it slightly better for me. If people complain about others using mini-sentries, and they're working, then those complaining have nothing to complain about, so I don't know, just ignore them?

Didn't say they shouldn't use it, I just find it annyoing.

 

[Zeema]

People hate the mini-sentry?

all the dudes i watched on Tf2 never seem to complain or even mention the mini sentries. plus there will always be complainers just go to the WoW forums and you'll see people crying and moaning about Mists of Pandaria and how Vanilla wow was the best wow

Yeah we all loved walking all the way to a instance and waiting for 20 mins for everyone to get there and then for a guy to ninja and then leave. THE GOD DAMM GOLDEN AGE

/rant

 

[TimeLord]

As an engie main, I'm not a huge fan of the mini-sentry. Properly utilized Level 3's do so much more work.

That said, on MvM, STOP USING WRANGLER. Spend that time fixing your sentry rather than wasting half your ammo trying for kills. Seriously. Had a guy claim I was hacking because my sentry had 27 kills, and his had 9. No, I wasn't hacking, I was fixing the gun while it chewed through the enemy, while you sprayed rockets at nothing in particular before having yours destroyed. A max durability upgrade means that sentry takes FOREVER to kill.

Except that in at least 2 of the 3 maps you can set up a sentry with line of sight to the bot spawn but too far away to auto target them as soon as they appear. It also helps if you want to target giants or the bomb carrier over other robots, or the tank as soon as it arrives if it isn't close enough to your sentry. Once the robots push close enough then yeah give up on the Wrangler and bash away to repair it as it auto targets.

I was in a game on Decoy the other day where I teamed up with a second Engie. I had my sentry on the building down the middle and he had his just round the corner out of site but still on the bomb route. He repaired my sentry while I Wrangled and as soon as the bots were close then I abandoned Wrangling to repair my own sentry and he teleported away to repair his own. Worked like a charm as I did not have to break fire to re-arm my own sentry and it gave us a second line of defence against Giant Scouts.

 

[Spambot 3000]

The fact that it destroys Scouts is probably my favourite reason as to why I love the Gunslinger. I detest that class more than any other.
Go, Go, Gadget: Mini-Sentry!

 

[Brendan Stepladder]

I like mini-sentries, their mobility combined with a few metal regen upgrades, plus a widowmaker, can make a highly mobile Engineer who can hit enemies wherever they hide.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Speaking as a scout main, those have got to be some terrible scouts doing the complaining. Minisentries and level 1 regular sentries are the only sentries a scout can reliably take out on his own, using the pistol at a distance. Anything bigger will kill him before he can do much damage.

As a Scout main: I'm not a fan of minisetries. They are annoying as hell, especially since they are so cheap and disposeable (but if they weren't they would be not as usefull). But like everything else: They rise and fall with mapdesign. While I have no problems with those on most pl or cp maps there are those few where it gets just tedious because I can't take them out fast enough due to range and open areas (scouts are loved targets):

koth_king
koth_harvest
and the doomsday map.

There the sentries can cover so much ground on those maps that if there are more than one I bite my keyboard from frustration and switch to a meatier class.

I see what you're saying, but isn't it just as true with regular sentries as it is with mini sentries? I'd say it's even more so, in fact, because the scout is borderline useless against a level 2 or higher sentry. Engineer is kind of a counter to scout.

 

[Emiscary]

Because they're useless compared to their older siblings. Y'know, real sentry guns.

Between the Wrangler and the upgrade buildings canteen (and also y'know, the bonus mini sentry you can get as an upgrade), there is no reason to ever use anything but the classic model.

 

[scorptatious]

What the hell did I miss? I was thinking of coming back to TF2 when I heard there was a "humans vs bots" mode, but now I'm hesitant. How much am I going to have to grind to get this crap?

I've only really played vanilla TF2, but I always played Engie. Is it even worth it to come back now? it sounds like the game has gotten bogged down in all these items and weapons. (I facepalmed at a screen of the DemoPan)

There is no grinding really. The newer weapons are sidegrades of the default weapons. For example, the Heavy has a weapon that can slow down his targets when fired upon, but it doesn't do as much damage. So basically, you can play the game just fine with the default weapons.

Plus being engie during Mann VS Machine mode isn't really that much different to how you play as him normally. You can however use credits your team collects from the robots to upgrade your weapons. But only for that game. Upgrades do not carry over to other games.

Also, watch out for sentry busters. When one comes near you, pick up your sentry and leg it before it blows up.

 

[Neverhoodian]

Because without effort, an Engineer can quickly create an almost instant-building, damage tanking (while building), distracting, perfect aiming, large area of effectiveness, hard to hit, versatile, little damage falloff, knockback inducing building with as much health as a lower class. If the sentry is destroyed, that Engineer isn't going to give a shit, he can build another without having to find more metal -- and on the front lines, metal is easy to come by from fallen weapons and no other class needing to use metal. And the Gunslinger gives more health.

Pretty much this. "Battle Engies" can be incredibly annoying to fight due to them constantly spamming mini-sentries, particularly if they're near some ammo pickups. Bonus annoyance points if they have the Frontier Justice with some revenge crits ready to go.

 

[natster43]

I don't hate the mini sentry, but then again I play Loch N Load demo so I just oneshot them whenever they show up.

 

[bioject]

So I just started playing TF2 heavily again when MvM came out, and I have to ask....WTF is with all the Mini-Sentry/Gunslinger hate lately?

I always found the Mini-Sentry a great choice for the more mobile Engineer who is focused on helping his team and keeping pressure on. The Mini-Sentry's fast build time, low metal cost and easy use mean you can toss one wherever whenever, and it will help. It gets rid of the need to lug around a Level 3 Sentry for set-up, or making yourself vulnerable while trying to build one in the field.

I understand that the Regular Sentry is more useful for hardcore defense, but for the mobile Engi on the front lines with his team, it seems the Mobile Sentry is more useful in every way.

Even in MvM, I find the Mini-Sentry's fast set-up, low cost and easy use invaluable - it doesn't matter if the machines destroy them, and Sentry Busters don't mean anything anymore. And its super easy to just get the Extra Sentry upgrade, and just set-up deadly crossfires with the little things.

But everyone calls it useless, and says only the Regular Sentry should be used, and a lot of people say that anyone who uses the Mini-Sentry is stupid or a noob.

Why is there suddenly so much hate for this little guy?

They probably hate it because most people don't know how to use the minisentry very well. The minisentry is good for both defense and offense if used correctly. Unlike the regular sentry, you shouldn't set it up in common areas. Instead you should place it in places where it isn't easily seen or the something the enemy would focus on. You back up the minisentry with your shotgun. In fact the minisentry could be seen as a support tool than a total defense tool like the sentry. Better to play with shotgun and use the sentry as a support and when it blows up, you can do revenge crits.

 

[Tiamattt]

I only hate when people try using it to defend a crucial area like a regular LVL 3 SG, in which case he's a total waste of a time slot. Even worse when he tries wrenching it when a heavy starts shooting at it........

Otherwise it's great if the person knows what they're doing, it just seems to be a extremely rare sight. As for MvM I dunno, considering how well SGs do against the robots, especially when upgraded it seems unthinkable to replace that with the mini.

 

[Vidiot]

What the hell did I miss? I was thinking of coming back to TF2 when I heard there was a "humans vs bots" mode, but now I'm hesitant. How much am I going to have to grind to get this crap?

I've only really played vanilla TF2, but I always played Engie. Is it even worth it to come back now? it sounds like the game has gotten bogged down in all these items and weapons. (I facepalmed at a screen of the DemoPan)

There is no grinding really. The newer weapons are sidegrades of the default weapons. For example, the Heavy has a weapon that can slow down his targets when fired upon, but it doesn't do as much damage. So basically, you can play the game just fine with the default weapons.

Plus being engie during Mann VS Machine mode isn't really that much different to how you play as him normally. You can however use credits your team collects from the robots to upgrade your weapons. But only for that game. Upgrades do not carry over to other games.

Also, watch out for sentry busters. When one comes near you, pick up your sentry and leg it before it blows up.

Cool, now only two issues left to figure out:
1. How do I unlock the little bugger?
2. Heading over to the forums to find a fix for this "invalid CD key" error I keep getting with my F2P steam games (TF2 and Portal specifically)

 

[scorptatious]

What the hell did I miss? I was thinking of coming back to TF2 when I heard there was a "humans vs bots" mode, but now I'm hesitant. How much am I going to have to grind to get this crap?

I've only really played vanilla TF2, but I always played Engie. Is it even worth it to come back now? it sounds like the game has gotten bogged down in all these items and weapons. (I facepalmed at a screen of the DemoPan)

There is no grinding really. The newer weapons are sidegrades of the default weapons. For example, the Heavy has a weapon that can slow down his targets when fired upon, but it doesn't do as much damage. So basically, you can play the game just fine with the default weapons.

Plus being engie during Mann VS Machine mode isn't really that much different to how you play as him normally. You can however use credits your team collects from the robots to upgrade your weapons. But only for that game. Upgrades do not carry over to other games.

Also, watch out for sentry busters. When one comes near you, pick up your sentry and leg it before it blows up.

Cool, now only two issues left to figure out:
1. How do I unlock the little bugger?
2. Heading over to the forums to find a fix for this "invalid CD key" error I keep getting with my F2P steam games (TF2 and Portal specifically)

You can use the mini-sentry by acquiring the "Gunslinger". I believe you can get it by getting certain engineer achievement, but you can also get it via random drops. It's a replacement for the wrench. Be warned though, it prevents you from building regular sentries. So you should probably only use it when playing offensively. In MvM mode though, you can use credits to buy a disposable mini-sentry without having to use the gunslinger.

 

[Johnson McGee]

-snip-

Actually, the wrengler is there for priority targets like giants, sentrybuster (if you have a pyro who knows M2) and Sniper / Medics if you have no one on that duty.

And during the waves it takes several giants to actually make me hammer on my sentry nonstop to keep it alive. Like you said, a maxed HP sentry is durable so it can take several shots while wrengler is active without problems.

I find the wrangler is extremely useful in MVM, especially to pound on tanks and counter giants paired with uber medics. Pull out the wrangler long enough to put up the shield then immediately go back to repairing, since you can't deal damage to the uber anyway, and wait for the uber(s) to run out. Also use the wrangler to target sentry busters heading toward you. Just don't use it to mow down the little bots, the un-wranglered sentry can handle those.

OT: Mini sentry depends heavily on who's using it and who's fighting it. Don't be dumb and just shoot at it mindlessly. Go for the engineer first, stay out of line-of-sight, wait until it's built to shoot it so it doesn't repair, etc.

 

[Rednog]

Mini sentries are bad in MvM because:
1) 500 dollars is usually the payout for a normal round if you've gotten an A, that really is way too costly in terms of its actually utility.
2) 500 can and should be used towards the more essential upgrades; sentry health, firing speed, more metal for you, or wrench speed.
3) Sentry firing speed will deplete the mini sentry obscenely fast and you can't refill it. So you basically have to toss it down in a spot where it will die, which takes time/you away from your main sentry/dispenser etc. You might say oh but I wouldn't leave my sentry etc, great you have a 500 dollar upgrade going click click click.

In normal pvp matches I do use the mini sentry when playing an offensive engineer. I drop an entrance at the start and then push out with my mini sentry and shotgun to secure a forward point for my allies to warp in and in general cause some havoc while everyone else is focusing the usual threats.

That said, on MvM, STOP USING WRANGLER. Spend that time fixing your sentry rather than wasting half your ammo trying for kills. Seriously. Had a guy claim I was hacking because my sentry had 27 kills, and his had 9. No, I wasn't hacking, I was fixing the gun while it chewed through the enemy, while you sprayed rockets at nothing in particular before having yours destroyed. A max durability upgrade means that sentry takes FOREVER to kill.

I'm sorry but the wrangler is absolutely amazing in MvM. It doubles the firing speed of your sentry and stops 66% of incoming damage. Granted for normal waves it really is best to let the thing auto fire while you spend your time repairing and what not. But when it comes to last ditch omg there is a tank or a super robot that is blowing people up, dropping a level 3 sentry and wrangling it puts out more dps and the shield can actually tank a super robot. On more than one occasion I've beating a super soldier or a super heavy with just a wrangled sentry.
It can also pick off those snipers in MvM who will take you out if left alone.
And even then is there really any better alternative? You have the choice of the pistol which you won't use, or the short circuit which is finiky at best.

 

[Darren716]

The only time I hate minis is when my team is on defence and our engineer is using one when he could have set up a nice level 3 sentry during the set up time. I normally don't complain though because I'm usually trying to the team how we can't have 4 Snipers and no power classes.