Learn the best builds and skills for the Sentinel class in Last Epoch
Wondering what the best Sentinel skills and builds are in Last Epoch?Bordered by the blinding glory of nobleness stands the Sentinel, the holy warrior ofLast Epoch. This is the class to play if you want to act as a bulwark against waves upon waves of enemy forces, smashing them into the ground with the fervor of your godly hammer strikes.
The Sentinel has three Masteries, ranging from the armour-commanding Forge Guard to the self explanatory Paladin to the dark-embracing Void Knight. Below, we’ve outlined our preferred builds for each Mastery, along with the right Skills, Specialization Tree nodes, and Passives for each. Read on to stand forever strong against the forces of evil with your shield and sword shining bright!
In this guide:
Last Epoch Best Sentinel Forge Guard build
TheManifest Armor Forge Guardbuild listed here is all about creating an armour construct that follows you around. With this backup bruiser by your side, you’ll never be alone on the battlefield. It truly feels like this version of the Sentinel is an epic blacksmith who one day grew tired of simply making weapons and decided to get started using them, and if that idea appeals to you, give these Skills a try. As a bonus, this is also a very easy build forLast Epochnewbies to master.
The Forge Guard throws aJavelinwith tremendous force, hitting every creature in its way. This Skill requires a spear for maximum impact, and it can also be used as a traversal ability to pull the Forge Guard immediately to the point on the ground where the spear landed.
Go for theBattle Standardnode on the Javelin Specialization Tree to generate an increased damage buff to anyone standing in the radius of the spear when it lands. Follow this up withSurprise Initiative, which causes your Forge Guard to automatically dash to the spear’s point of impact, letting them receive the buff automatically. While you’re at it, takeArdent Symbolto ensure that the buff from Battle Standard lasts longer.
Manifest Armoris the trademark of this build, giving you an excellent armour-plated minion who not only looks rad, but also hits like a tank. Your armoured friend will level up alongside your gear, as any stats granted by your body armour, helmet, gloves, and boots also apply to it. This means that by Last Epoch’s endgame when you’re hopefully kitted out in legendary gear, your minion will be similarly powerful.
To better your minion’s armour-scaling potential, grab theIron Grasp,Platemail,Steel Greaves, andGreat Helmnodes as soon as you can.Titan Swordis also a must-have node, since it will grant your animated armour a sword which scales with your equipped weapon’s stats.
WithSigils of Hope, your Sentinel summons several holy symbols, granting both themselves and their allies the chance to deal three additional fire damage with every attack and spell, as well as increased health regeneration by 30%. This is a rock solid buff that’ll help keep both your Forge Guard and their armoured friend in the fight.
Grab all the levels of theInvigoratenode to make your sigils more effective at healing. Technically, you can have a maximum of three sigils up at once, but we can boost that number to five by takingPolygramandTetragram.
Time to act like Captain America -Shield Throwsees your Sentinel chucking a shield in a mighty arc and richocheting it from target to target! This is probably one of my favourite Sentinel Skills, just for the Cap vibe. It’s also worth noting that you don’t actually need to have a shield equipped to use this Skill, as your Sentinel is cool enough to simply manifest one out of thin air.
While it might not seem obvious at first, Shield Throw can target allies, not just enemies. And theManifest Inspirationnode on the far left of the Specialization Tree is particularly important in this regard, since it activates a sweeping melee attack in your Manifest Armor whenever you hit it with a shield. This means we’re going to utilise Shield Throw not just as a means of bashing enemy skulls, but also as a sly method of ordering our summoned armour to unleash a swiping strike.
Voice Cleave, which requires a two-handed sword or axe, creates a devastating melee attack that slices through all enemies in front of you. This will be one of your primary damage-dealing moves as a Forge Guard, and it’ll also buff your Manifest Armor.
TheMolten BladesandScorching Pathnodes are necessary to give your summoned armour a stack of Molten Infusion whenever you hit them or an enemy with Void Cleave. Molten Infusion grants additional fire damage and a chance to ignite enemies, further supplementing your armoured minion’s strength. You should also take theNether Chargenode for the chance to use Void Cleave one more time before a cooldown.
To maximise your potential with the Manifest Armor Forge Guard build, we recommend the following Passives:
The Paladin is what most folks will probably think of when they first hear about the Sentinel - a powerful champion of goodness, basked in holy abilities that can clear out evil-doers in a matter of seconds. TheHammer Throw Paladinlist of Skills we’ve listed below takes this to a new level by sending a devastating array of hammers exploding out from your Paladin in a nova, and this screen-cleaning build is so popular with the Last Epoch community that it’s been dubbed “Nova Hammerdin.”
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as unleashing a wave of projectiles withHammer Throw, and you’ll constantly be popping this Skill as you wade into the thick of combat. We’ll tweak Hammer Throw on the Specialization Tree to manifest the unique nova-shaped effect that gives this build its affectionate nickname.
Work your way up the Skill tree toAvatar of the Spireto get the nova shape, which also doubles the additional hammers you can chuck. Combine this node withEnra’s Techniqueto amplify all damage and critical strike chances for your hammers. Then it’s just a matter of piling on the damage -Zealot’s ConvictionandWeighted Hammersare my favourite nodes for getting this job done.
Holy Auragives your Paladin and nearby allies 30% increased damage and +15% elemental resistance, and is a fantastic insurance policy for a hammer-wielding warrior who’s always in the centre of battle.
Shelter From the Stormis a pivotal choice for granting everyone under Holy Aura’s buff additional elemental resistance, andCall to Armswill elevate their physical damage. We can also tweak Holy Aura’s synergy with Hammer Throw by maxing out theExpediteandFanaticismnodes for a very nice bump to attack and throwing speed.
Sigils of Hopecreates an array of swirling holy symbols that buff your Paladin and allies, conferring fire damage with every attack and spell as well a 30% health regeneration boost. This Skill works well alongside Holy Aura as a potent buffing combo.
TakeEmpowering Sigilsto increase the damage granted per active sigil. Then spec intoIron Sigils,Enduring Hope,Tetragram,Meditation, and finallySign of the Guardianto summon more sigils, increase their potency, and grant them extra bonuses, including an increased block chance.
What arePaladinsbest known for, if not castingSmite? This Skill burns enemies and heals allies with light from the heavens. It’s a versatile, reliable ability that becomes even better when we modify it to also give our Paladin a traversal edge.
You’re going to want to work your way towardsDescendon theSmiteSpecialization Tree, maxing outRighteous Flurryalong the way. Descend allows your Paladin to teleport to Smite’s targeted location, smacking all surrounding enemies as they reappear. Combine this withForceful Impactto knock thoese enemies away five metres. While you’re at it, you should takeDesperate Measuresto ease up on Smite’s mana requirements, andSoothing Balmto up Smite’s healing potential.
We’ve already got Smite as a solid movement Skill, but it’s always a good call to have another one at our disposal.Volatile Reversalfits the bill by letting Paladins return to the position they were last at two seconds ago. It reverts changes to their current health and mana, which is handy when you need to get out of a tight spot but also want a quick mana recharge along the way.
To make Volatile Reversal even better, takeTerminal Void Riftto leave behind a damage-dealing rift whenever you pop this Skill. Supplement this rift with theDark ExpanseandHarbinger of Dustnodes. To lessen Volatile Reversal’s cooldown and amp up both your movement and attack speed after using it, select theTime Sap,Catching Up, andWarped Timenodes.
To maximise your potential with Hammer Throw Paladin build, we recommend the following Passives:
Whenever there’s a paladin in fantasy, there’s always an anti-paladin - a warrior who still fights on the side of good, but uses dark forces in the process. In Last Epoch, this role is filled by the Void Knight Mastery. TheDevouring Orb Void Knightbuild is an especially awesome one where your Void Knight essentially uses the power of black holes to damage enemies and open rifts into reality. This is a great option if you want your Sentinel to have a darker edge while dealing extreme AoE damage to everything in close proximity.
Anomalyis an interesting Skill that lets you manipulate enemies by sending them forward in time by five seconds. When you reactivate the Skill, you’ll bring them back into your timeline. In a nutshell, you’re “fast forwarding” and “rewinding” enemies, which can be very handy for thinning out crowded mobs or reorienting foes exactly where you need them to be for the purposes of setting up a combo. This is a tricky Skill to master, but it’s an infinitely useful one once you wrap your head around it.
You can make Anomaly even more versatile via theTime Bubblenode, which creates a bubble that slows enemies and shreds any void resistance they might have. Follow up by selectingTemporal Masteryto make your Time Bubble last longer, andDecimationto give you and your allies an increased critical strike chance while Time Bubble is up.
Devouring Orbmanifests an orb that unleashes a void rift whenever something dies in the nearby area. All enemies around the orb take void damage, and each successive rift deals increasingly larger damage. This is an all-around awesome Skill that really communicates the “kill enemies with the power of black holes” vibe of this Mastery.
Rift Calleris an excellent node to ensure that any damage from Devouring Orb penetrates enemy void resistance. You should also invest inDark Moon,Abyssal Rush,Cosmic Impact, and the almightyExtinctionto ensure that those enemies you suck into the void don’t come back alive for very long.
Both a charging attack and a quick means of movement,Shield Rushsees the Void Knight dashing forwards through all enemies like a rampaging bull. You’ll use this Skill to zip around the map, and it’s especially satisfying to see a whole cluster of baddies explode after you’ve rushed through them.
Rush MasteryandConsuming Pathshould both be maxed out to make Shield Rush respectively cost less mana and deal more damage.Warrior’s Entrance,Descent of the Void,Dark RegressionandVoid Breakerare other good nodes, and if you want to use Shield Rush without actually holding a shield in your hands, grabDark Rush.
Paladins aren’t the only ones who can useSmite- it’s a superb damage Skill for Void Knights as well. You’ll be using this as your go-to damage Skill during those moments when Devouring Orb isn’t enough.
Pillars of Lightis a good node to pick here, giving you the chance to double cast Smite. Follow up by putting points into all of the nodes branching off from Pillars of Light, but especiallySacrifice,Atonement, andDeep Impact.
Rebukelets you channel for a few seconds, taking 80% less damage as you do so. Once you stop channeling, you’ll send off a wave at all nearby foes that deals damage dependent on every hit you received while channeling. It’s a solid payback Skill that you’ll rely on as your main means of defense.
To increase Rebuke’s maximum duration, max outBide. To amplify health regeneration and reduce any incoming damage you might receive while channeling, put some points intoRegenerative Shell,Brave the Elements, andAugmented Plating.
To maximise your potential with the Devouring Orb Void Knight build, we recommend the following Passives:
That finishes our look at the best builds available for the do-gooder that is the Sentinel. For more on all the class options available to you in Last Epoch, keep an eye on Rock Paper Shotgun in the coming days as we proceed to delve into thegothic Acolyte, thespell-slinging Mage, and theshifty Rogue.
