Difference between revisions of "Anti-Sentry Buster strategy"

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sentry Buster, Anti-strategy}}
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{{Other uses|this=the strategy for dealing with Sentry Busters|for=the robot itself|Sentry Buster}}
{{Quotation|'''The Engineer'''|I will send every damn one of you back to '''robot hell!'''|sound=Engineer_mvm_taunt01.wav}}
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[[File:SentryBuster.png|300px|right|Sentry Buster]]
[[Image:SentryBuster.png|300px|right|Sentry Buster]]
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{{Quotation|'''The Engineer''' avenging his Sentry.'''|I will send every damn one of you back to '''robot hell!'''|sound=Engineer_mvm_taunt01.wav}}
  
This article is about '''Community Anti-[[Sentry Buster]]''' strategy.
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This article is about '''Community Anti-Sentry Buster''' strategy.
  
 
== General ==
 
== General ==
* Stick together! Teamwork here is vital.
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* Sentry Busters are not a high priority target; they shouldn't be your priority over giant robots and occasionally regular robots, unless you're an [[Engineer]].
* You can attack the robot from afar, as well as with a melee weapon. It is only dangerous once it is killed or reaches its target Sentry.
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** Focused fire on the Sentry Buster can give the bomb carrier a chance to slip past your defenses. If you detonate a Sentry Buster right in the middle of a bunch of teammates, you force them to stop what they're doing and get out of its blast radius. In the worst case scenario, more than half of your team can be instantly wiped out by a single Buster.
* Communicate! Alert your teammates of the Sentry Buster’s whereabouts at all times.
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* You can attack the robot from afar as well as with a melee weapon. It is only dangerous once it arms itself, either through loss of health or upon reaching its target Sentry Gun.
* Never let your guard down. It can use a detour to get to the [[Engineer]] buildings.
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** An exception can be found in Mannhattan; the Sentry Buster sometimes interacts strangely with the security system that stuns the robots when a gate is captured, allowing it to actually use its "weapon" and kill any player it passes through. It's quite rare, but it is a risk.
* Be sure to have at least one [[Pyro]] with the [[Flamethrower]] or [[Degreaser]] equipped. An airblasting Pyro is the best counter to a Sentry Buster.
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* Never let your guard down. Sentry Busters will use detours to reach its destination faster if allowed to do so.
* Use [[Power Up Canteen]]s. The Critical Hit Boost will help in dealing maximum damage, while the Instant Teleport & Übercharge boosts will help for escape.
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* If a Sentry Buster begins to detonate, get as far away as possible. Note that at this point it cannot be affected by [[knockback]], except for Pyro's [[Compression blast|airblast]].
* If a Sentry Buster begins to detonate, get as far away as possible. Note that at this point it cannot be affected by [[knockback]].
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* Blast resistance reduces the damage taken from the explosion, possibly allowing you to survive the blast. Blast resistances should not be your key priority if you find yourself in a wave with little to no explosive damage dealing robots, however. There are better things you can spend your money on.
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* Always listen for the sound of it arming itself. If you hear it, stop what you're doing, find the Sentry Buster, and if in its range, get away from it.
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* The explosion of a Sentry Buster also kills its allies. Use this to your advantage if your team is having a hard time dealing with a horde of robots.
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* Unlike giants and many other robots, Sentry Busters cannot pick up the bomb. However, they run faster than most robots and cannot be body-blocked (which is the act of stopping a robot from progressing forward by standing in its path); Sentry Busters simply walk through a player as if they were a teammate.
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* There's a long lasting bug where Sentry Busters simply vanish instead of exploding. It plays the sound cue when arming itself as well as the explosion, but neither arming animation nor explosion are triggered. This mostly happens if the Sentry Buster is being hit by weaponry with slowdown effects, such as [[Natascha]] or a [[Upgrade Station#Primary|Rocket Specialist Soldier]].
  
 
=== {{class link|Scout}} ===
 
=== {{class link|Scout}} ===
* Using the [[Force-A-Nature]] will usually knock back the Sentry Buster at close range and will knock you back if you are airborne.
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* Sentry Busters shouldn't be a big threat to Scouts. You can safely escape the Buster's explosion radius with speed alone. The Scout should only be dealing with the Buster when there's no cash to collect and no robots to kill.
** Be aware of where you knock the Sentry Buster to. You don't want to knock it straight into your [[Engineer]]'s buildings.
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** However, keep an eye on where the Sentry Buster is, otherwise you may accidentally run into a self-destructing Buster, right when you're turning around a corner. If it doesn't flat-out kill you, it will result in you losing most, if not all of your overheal buff.
* The [[Soda Popper]]'s mini-crits can be activated any time you want to.
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* Using the [[Force-A-Nature]] will knock back the Sentry Buster at close range and also knock you back, if you are airborne.
* [[Crit-a-Cola]] gives critical hits instead of mini-crits, allowing you to quickly deal high amounts of damage to Sentry Buster. The mini-crit vulnerability is pointless as Sentry Buster will not attack players directly.
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** Be aware of where you knock the Sentry Buster to. You don't want to knock it straight into your [[Engineer]]'s buildings, or your teammates.
* Sentry Busters are not affected by [[stun]]s from the [[Sandman]], though you can upgrade it so players will do mini-crit damage.
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* Sentry Busters are not affected by [[stun]]s from the [[Sandman]], since they're considered a giant robot. You can however still upgrade it with the [[Upgrade Station#Melee|"Ball Marks Target"]] upgrade, so players will do mini-crit damage to it.
* [[Mad Milk]] will still affect the movement speed of a Sentry Buster if upgraded.
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* [[Mad Milk]] will still affect the movement speed of a Sentry Buster if upgraded. A Sentry Buster coated in Mad Milk gives a maximum of 1500 health points to you and your teammates before dying. If there's no presence of another giant robot yet, you can consider milking the Sentry Buster.
* The [[Atomizer]] is an upgrade in terms of evasion. Watch out for your health in that case, though.
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* The [[Fan O'War]] will allow you to tag the Sentry Buster for mini-crits. Use this to allow the rest of your team to focus on and mow down the Sentry Buster, but remember - only one target can be marked for death at any time and the mark will disappear faster for giants.
* The [[Fan O'War]] will allow you to tag the Sentry Buster for mini-crits. Use this to allow the rest of your team to focus down the Sentry Buster, but remember - only one target can be marked for death at any time and the mark will disappear after some time.
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* Sentry Busters can give you boost for the [[Baby Face's Blaster]]. Shooting them can build your boost back up quickly. Don't over-commit to getting boost, however, as it could arm itself without a moment's notice or leave you distracted from more important Scout jobs.
  
 
=== {{class link|Soldier}} ===
 
=== {{class link|Soldier}} ===
* If the Sentry Buster is too close to you and primed to detonate, you can [[rocket jump]] to escape.
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* If the Sentry Buster is too close to you and primed to detonate, you can [[rocket jump]] in order to escape to safety.
* If you have 160 HP or less use [[Escape Plan]] to escape faster from the explosion.
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* If you have 160 HP or less, use the [[Escape Plan]] to escape faster from the explosion. Although you may take 35% more damage because of the marked-for-death penalty, it's better to take extra damage than to lose all of your health.
* If you have a lot of teammates, consider equipping the [[Buff Banner]] to help deal some extra damage to the stronger Sentry Buster.
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* If you have a lot of teammates, consider equipping one of the [[Banner|banner]]s, since Sentry Busters provide a good source of damage to build up your rage meter easily.  
* Aim for the robot's feet to knock it back.
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* Your Rocket Specialist upgrade is very useful against Sentry Busters. The upgrade allows you to stun and deal maximum damage to it. Keep firing until it is dead, but stay away from its blast.
* A Critical Hit Boost will do wonders against the Sentry Buster.
 
  
 
=== {{class link|Pyro}} ===
 
=== {{class link|Pyro}} ===
* Your [[air blast]] is invaluable, so make sure to face the robot with full ammunition.
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* Your [[Compression Blast|airblast]] is invaluable, so make sure to face the robot with full ammunition.
* An easy way to alert your teammates of a Sentry Buster’s presence is to [[Fire|light it on fire]] and make it more noticeable, as well as damage it.
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* An easy way to alert your teammates of a Sentry Buster’s presence is to light it on [[fire]] and make it more noticeable, as well as to damage it.
* Critical [[flare]]s shot from the [[Flare Gun]] or [[Detonator]] and [[Axtinguisher]] or [[Postal Pummeler]] hits do excruciating damage if you run out of flamethrower ammunition or if you don't use air blasts.
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* Hitting a Sentry Buster with the [[Scorch Shot]] forces the Sentry Buster to stop for a second. This can be good in a situation where you cannot airblast.
* Use the [[Neon Annihilator]] to do critical damage against a Sentry Buster that has been coated with [[Jarate]] or Mad Milk. If these last two weapons are given the proper upgrade, the advantage of this method is that a doused Sentry Buster will move slowly than usual, allowing you to chase it more easily.
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* Max out the airblast force upgrade to push Sentry Busters back. If you can, you can knock them into an environmental hazard, such as a [[pitfall]].
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* Although airblasting can save your teammates' lives and time, using it carelessly is more harmful than helpful.
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** Sometimes when Sentry Busters have decided to self-destruct in mid-air, it only plays the sound but doesn't play the self-destructing animation. This can be very confusing especially for new players and thus can lead to an unexpected death.
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** Your team's Engineer should be ready to deal with the Buster. Airblasting just to buy him time can end up making him waste more time, waiting for the Buster to reach him.
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** A bouncing robot is almost always harder to hit than a robot traveling in a predictable path. Overusing your airblast can make it harder for teammates to deal with the Buster and a living Buster can accidentally block incoming fire for other robots, as well as distract teammates from dealing with other threats.
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* Due to the Sentry Buster's large health pool, you can get a considerable amount of Mmmph with the [[Phlogistinator]]. Chase them down to get as much Mmmph from them as you can when there's no other way of building Mmmph faster or engaging other robots to build Mmmph is too risky.
  
 
=== {{class link|Demoman}} ===
 
=== {{class link|Demoman}} ===
* Shooting grenades at the feet of the Sentry Buster will knock it back.
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* Demoman doesn't profit too much from the presence of the Sentry Buster, and thus they should avoid shooting the Buster when there's other robots to take down.
* Plant stickies near an Engineer’s nest. If the Sentry Buster gets near, detonate them to blast it back. Just make sure not to put them close enough that the robot can detonate.
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* With the [[Scottish Resistance]], you can plant extra stickies near an Engineer’s nest. If the Sentry Buster gets near, detonate them to weaken and hopefully kill it right away. Just make sure not to put them too close that the robot will still be in range of the buildings.
* If you have the [[Scottish Resistance]] equipped, place one sticky near you, so you may escape when a nearby Sentry Buster is about to detonate.
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**However, if the Engineer is prepared for any incoming Busters, it may be a better idea to invest your stickies in other areas to halt robot advances.
* Use the [[Chargin' Targe]] or [[Splendid Screen]] to escape the explosion.
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* Use the [[Chargin' Targe]], [[Splendid Screen]], or [[Tide Turner]] to escape the explosion if you're caught right next to a Buster during detonation.
* The [[Ullapool Caber]] is best used as a ''very'' last resort.
 
  
 
=== {{class link|Heavy}} ===
 
=== {{class link|Heavy}} ===
* Stand on the Dispenser and help defend the [[Engineer]] with your Minigun.
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* Stand near the [[Engineer]]'s Dispenser and help defend him with your Minigun.
* [[Natascha]] '''wrecks''' the Sentry Buster with ease, slowing it down and dealing a lot of damage.
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* [[Natascha]] slows down Sentry Busters immensely. Use it if you have enough time to keep the Sentry Buster pinned down.
* The Rage upgrade will enable you to knock a Sentry Buster back, giving your team more time to destroy it before it reaches a building.
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** However, the damage penalty can make killing other robots harder.
* The [[Buffalo Steak Sandvich]] may be of use in both dealing damage to the robot and allowing you to escape.
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* Sentry Busters have a large health pool; you can build a considerable amount of rage from each one.
* The [[Gloves of Running Urgently]] can be used to escape the Sentry Buster if it detonates near you.
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* The [[Gloves of Running Urgently]] can be used to avoid the Sentry Buster if it detonates near you.
* The [[Fists of Steel]] may provide damage resistance against explosions, but it won't help you against the detonation of the Sentry Buster.
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* The [[Fists of Steel]] may provide damage resistance against explosions, but even combining it with maxed-out blast resistance barely gives you much chance of surviving the blast.
  
 
=== {{class link|Engineer}} ===
 
=== {{class link|Engineer}} ===
* Put your other buildings far away from your main Sentry Gun. This will allow them to stay intact even if your Sentry is destroyed. Buy some upgrades for Dispenser range if necessary.
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* Sentry Busters are there just because of you, and it's mostly your job to deal with them, not your team's.
* As soon as the Sentry Buster comes to your Sentry and starts preparing to detonate, grab your Sentry and run as fast as you can. Note that grabbing a Sentry too late will cause you and your Sentry to be destroyed.
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* Do not pick your Sentry up and run around the map just to buy your team some time to destroy it. Most of the time, they have more important things to do and you not being at your post could be their undoing.
** If you are standing near an edge, try to fall off it with your Sentry Gun. If the fall is high enough, you can survive even if you grabbed your Sentry late during the Sentry Buster's crouch animation. Note that a horde of other robots may be under the cliff, so plan your retreat.
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* Put your other buildings far away from your main Sentry Gun. This will allow them to stay intact even if your Sentry is destroyed.
** Place your Sentry near a corner, and once the Sentry Buster starts to detonate, pick up your Sentry and run around the corner. The wall will protect you and your Sentry from the Sentry Buster’s explosion.
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* Like Giant Robots, Sentry Busters can trample and instantly destroy your non-Sentry buildings. If you're familiar with the Sentry Buster's path, position your Dispenser out of the way so that the Sentry Buster doesn't run it over.
** If there is a [[Teleporter]] entrance nearby, grab your Sentry and jump through it to quickly distance yourself from the Sentry Buster. If you have upgraded to two way Teleporters, you can continually jump from one to another with the Sentry Buster running between the two.
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* As soon as the Sentry Buster comes to your Sentry and prepares to detonate, [[Buildings#Hauling|grab]] your Sentry and run as fast as you can. Note that grabbing a Sentry too late will cause you and your Sentry to be destroyed. The [[Rescue Ranger]] reduces this risk, by allowing you to wait until the Sentry Buster approaches your Sentry Gun, then grabbing it from afar as it arms itself.
* The [[Rescue Ranger]] was ''made'' to combat Sentry Busters. Provided you have 130 [[metal]], you can easily get away from the Sentry Buster and grab your Sentry using the Ranger's alt-fire when it's arming.
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** If you have a bit of free time, you can simply grab your Sentry Gun, run to the Sentry Buster and touch it, then move away from the explosion. This saves you more time because you don't have to wait for the Sentry Buster to detonate to put the sentry down in your regular spot. This also eliminates the time your Sentry exclusively shoots the Sentry Buster as it walks up to your Sentry Gun.
* There are locations in maps where Sentry Busters will take a while to reach, as they cannot jump. Know those locations so you can stall the Sentry Buster and time your escape.
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** If you are standing near an edge, try to fall off it with your Sentry Gun. Note that a horde of other robots may be under the cliff, so plan your retreat. Also be aware of any fall damage you may take.
* If no other robots are in the way, and if any of your other buildings and/or teammates are close to your Sentry Gun, pick up your Sentry and run toward the Sentry Buster. When it starts to detonate, run back to your nest and put your Sentry where it was before. If done correctly, the Sentry Buster will detonate without destroying anything.
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** If your Sentry is placed near a corner, pick up your Sentry and run around the corner once the Sentry Buster starts to detonate. The wall will protect you and your Sentry from the Sentry Buster’s explosion.
* If there is more than one Engineer on the map, you should place your main Sentry Guns away from each other to prevent a single Sentry Buster from destroying all of them.
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** You can run toward a group of robots and detonate the Sentry Buster on top of them. The resulting explosion will kill robots and knock back giants. This is best accomplished with resistance upgrades so you don't die from either the Buster's explosion or the other robots' attacks.
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* There are locations on some maps where Sentry Busters will take a while to reach, as they cannot jump. Know those locations so you can stall the Sentry Buster and time your escape.
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* If there is more than one Engineer on the map, you should refrain from Sentry Stacking (placing your main Sentry Guns next to each other) to prevent a single Sentry Buster from destroying all of them.
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* Having only 1 Engineer is advised because the appearance of multiple busters at once may confuse which Buster targets which Sentry Gun.
 
* [[Wrangler|Wrangling]] your Sentry will not shield it from the explosion.
 
* [[Wrangler|Wrangling]] your Sentry will not shield it from the explosion.
* Use your Übercharge Canteen to protect you and your Sentry from the explosion. Note that it will not protect your other buildings.
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* Use your ÜberCharge Canteen to protect you and your Sentry from the explosion as a very last resort. Note that it will not protect your other buildings, and you may still take knockback.
* Use [[Eureka Effect]]'s taunt to teleport away from the Sentry Buster. You must taunt before the Sentry Buster starts to explode otherwise taunt's duration will not be enough to escape.
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** However, you can "surf" the knockback if you are out of position or the bomb has moved.
* If you have a Buildings Upgrade Canteen, consider throwing your Sentry into an unused corner of the map and simply building a new one once it is destroyed. This will reset your Sentry Gun's kill and damage count, so the robots won't send out more Sentry Busters for a little while, and unlock crits for the [[Frontier Justice]].
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* Make sure your buildings are not in the way of the path of the Sentry Buster, otherwise they will get destroyed since the Sentry Buster can simply walk through them and trample them, no matter how much health they may have.
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* When dealing with Sentry Busters, make sure you detonate them behind the team's defense and not in the middle of a bunch of teammates. Pick up your Sentry and let the Buster self-destruct away from the front line.
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*If you have some downtime in the wave, try letting the Sentry Buster destroy your Sentry Gun. Saving your gun will result in Sentry Busters being spawned more frequently until the Sentry is destroyed, if ever.
  
 
=== {{class link|Medic}} ===
 
=== {{class link|Medic}} ===
* Do not attack the Sentry Buster if there are still robots attacking your teammates. Concentrate on healing them to avoid a complete loss.
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* Because the [[Ubersaw]] gives Medic 25% of his ÜberCharge when he scores a successful hit against a Sentry Buster, Medics can gain a large amount of charge with a single Buster and ÜberCharge his teammates with Über/Crit/mega-heal/resistance more often. Thus, if dealt with correctly, the Sentry Buster can benefit the Medic way more than harming him.
* Don’t hesitate to use your ÜberCharge in dangerous situations on the [[Engineer]] or yourself.
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** However, do not chase the Buster if you or your team has to risk dying due to your moving away from your section. Remember, dead teammates will weaken your defensive line, and dying yourself destroys all your charge unless using the [[Vita-Saw]], which will salvage up to 60% of it.
* If facing a Sentry Buster alone, their lack of retaliation makes them a good way to fill up your ÜberCharge with an [[Ubersaw|Übersaw]].
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** It is advised not to attempt this when you already have a shield deployed. Switching away from your Medi Gun disables the shield and it cannot be reactivated until the Medi Gun is redeployed. Balance out the cost to decide whether to build your ÜberCharge or keep your shield running. Remember, keeping the shield running can save many of your teammates' lives and thus benefits your team more when there's a huge amount of incoming projectiles.
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* If you're using the [[Vaccinator]], don’t hesitate to use your resistance in dangerous situations on the [[Engineer]] or yourself.
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* If you're caught with the Sentry Buster right next to you and it's about to explode, popping your ÜberCharge (Or Über canteen, if you're using the Quick-Fix, Kritzkrieg, or Vaccinator) can save you from dying and losing all your charge. Remember the catchphrase: pop it, don't drop it.
  
 
=== {{class link|Sniper}} ===
 
=== {{class link|Sniper}} ===
[[Image:SentryBusterHitboxes.png|thumb|150x150px|The [[hitscan]] hitboxes of a Sentry Buster.]]
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[[File:SentryBusterHitboxes.png|thumb|150x150px|The hitboxes of a Sentry Buster.]]
* While it doesn't look like it, Sentry Busters do have head hitboxes that are sensitive to [[headshot]]s. While it is difficult to consistently shoot this area it can be very useful.
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* While it doesn't look like it, Sentry Busters do have head hitboxes that are vulnerable to [[headshot]]s. Hitting the very topmost pin of the Sentry Buster will do headshot damage.
* The best and most effective means of helping your team would be to throw [[Jarate]] on a Sentry Buster.
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** Upgrading explosive headshot slows the Buster if you score a successful headshot. It will also damage robots around the Buster. More points in the upgrade means the Buster will be slowed down more, the slow effect will last longer, and robots will be hurt in a wider radius around it.
** In particular, the [[Bushwacka]] can wreak havoc on a Jarated Sentry Buster.
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** Busters are one of the hardest robots to score headshots on due to their incredible speed and their "invisible" head. Focus your shots carefully or target other threats, if you have no time to work on it.
* If you're equipped with the [[Huntsman]], remember that you can stun the Sentry Buster with the [[Skewer]] taunt but make sure to time the taunt at the right moment. It's more effective if the sentry buster is coated with Jarate.
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* The best and most effective means of helping your team would be to throw [[Jarate]] on a Sentry Buster. With the slowdown upgrade, you can reduce the Buster's speed to a crawl and make scoring headshots on them far more easier.
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** In particular, the [[Bushwacka]] can wreak havoc on a Sentry Buster coated with Jarate. Then again, it may be more productive to worry about other threats, if they're present.
  
 
=== {{class link|Spy}} ===
 
=== {{class link|Spy}} ===
* [[Sap]]ping the Sentry Buster is your primary focus. Make sure to sap it as soon as your teammates can attack it effectively.
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* [[Sapper|Sapping]] the Sentry Buster kills most of its speed for a short period of time. Make sure to sap it as soon as your teammates can attack it effectively. Otherwise, save it to sap higher priority targets such as Über Medics or giants.
* [[Backstab]]bing the Sentry Buster can be done only with the Armor Penetration, as they are considered giant robots.
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** Working with a Medic, you can sap the Sentry Buster and then signal the Medic to use his Ubersaw on it to gain ÜberCharge, if he lacks a full charge.
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** Sapping a Sentry Buster can buy the Engineer more time to either pick off more robots before dealing with the Sentry Buster, or to reach his Sentry Gun to pick it up, if he is not close enough or respawning.
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* Sentry Busters cannot be [[backstab]]bed, as made obvious by the lack of a back ''to'' stab. They can still be headshot with the [[Ambassador]] if you hit the top pin, like a Sniper.
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* Remember, the Sentry Buster will explode when its health runs out or reaches its target, so give yourself time to get clear of the blast. If that isn't possible, the [[Dead Ringer]] can save you from death by the Sentry Buster's explosion, though this should only be used as a last resort, as it means you will have to get it recharged before going back to work on the robots.
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[[Category:Community strategy]]

Latest revision as of 08:11, 20 May 2024

This article is about the strategy for dealing with Sentry Busters. For the robot itself, see Sentry Buster.
Sentry Buster
I will send every damn one of you back to robot hell!
The Engineer avenging his Sentry.

This article is about Community Anti-Sentry Buster strategy.

General

  • Sentry Busters are not a high priority target; they shouldn't be your priority over giant robots and occasionally regular robots, unless you're an Engineer.
    • Focused fire on the Sentry Buster can give the bomb carrier a chance to slip past your defenses. If you detonate a Sentry Buster right in the middle of a bunch of teammates, you force them to stop what they're doing and get out of its blast radius. In the worst case scenario, more than half of your team can be instantly wiped out by a single Buster.
  • You can attack the robot from afar as well as with a melee weapon. It is only dangerous once it arms itself, either through loss of health or upon reaching its target Sentry Gun.
    • An exception can be found in Mannhattan; the Sentry Buster sometimes interacts strangely with the security system that stuns the robots when a gate is captured, allowing it to actually use its "weapon" and kill any player it passes through. It's quite rare, but it is a risk.
  • Never let your guard down. Sentry Busters will use detours to reach its destination faster if allowed to do so.
  • If a Sentry Buster begins to detonate, get as far away as possible. Note that at this point it cannot be affected by knockback, except for Pyro's airblast.
  • Blast resistance reduces the damage taken from the explosion, possibly allowing you to survive the blast. Blast resistances should not be your key priority if you find yourself in a wave with little to no explosive damage dealing robots, however. There are better things you can spend your money on.
  • Always listen for the sound of it arming itself. If you hear it, stop what you're doing, find the Sentry Buster, and if in its range, get away from it.
  • The explosion of a Sentry Buster also kills its allies. Use this to your advantage if your team is having a hard time dealing with a horde of robots.
  • Unlike giants and many other robots, Sentry Busters cannot pick up the bomb. However, they run faster than most robots and cannot be body-blocked (which is the act of stopping a robot from progressing forward by standing in its path); Sentry Busters simply walk through a player as if they were a teammate.
  • There's a long lasting bug where Sentry Busters simply vanish instead of exploding. It plays the sound cue when arming itself as well as the explosion, but neither arming animation nor explosion are triggered. This mostly happens if the Sentry Buster is being hit by weaponry with slowdown effects, such as Natascha or a Rocket Specialist Soldier.

Leaderboard class scout.png Scout

  • Sentry Busters shouldn't be a big threat to Scouts. You can safely escape the Buster's explosion radius with speed alone. The Scout should only be dealing with the Buster when there's no cash to collect and no robots to kill.
    • However, keep an eye on where the Sentry Buster is, otherwise you may accidentally run into a self-destructing Buster, right when you're turning around a corner. If it doesn't flat-out kill you, it will result in you losing most, if not all of your overheal buff.
  • Using the Force-A-Nature will knock back the Sentry Buster at close range and also knock you back, if you are airborne.
    • Be aware of where you knock the Sentry Buster to. You don't want to knock it straight into your Engineer's buildings, or your teammates.
  • Sentry Busters are not affected by stuns from the Sandman, since they're considered a giant robot. You can however still upgrade it with the "Ball Marks Target" upgrade, so players will do mini-crit damage to it.
  • Mad Milk will still affect the movement speed of a Sentry Buster if upgraded. A Sentry Buster coated in Mad Milk gives a maximum of 1500 health points to you and your teammates before dying. If there's no presence of another giant robot yet, you can consider milking the Sentry Buster.
  • The Fan O'War will allow you to tag the Sentry Buster for mini-crits. Use this to allow the rest of your team to focus on and mow down the Sentry Buster, but remember - only one target can be marked for death at any time and the mark will disappear faster for giants.
  • Sentry Busters can give you boost for the Baby Face's Blaster. Shooting them can build your boost back up quickly. Don't over-commit to getting boost, however, as it could arm itself without a moment's notice or leave you distracted from more important Scout jobs.

Leaderboard class soldier.png Soldier

  • If the Sentry Buster is too close to you and primed to detonate, you can rocket jump in order to escape to safety.
  • If you have 160 HP or less, use the Escape Plan to escape faster from the explosion. Although you may take 35% more damage because of the marked-for-death penalty, it's better to take extra damage than to lose all of your health.
  • If you have a lot of teammates, consider equipping one of the banners, since Sentry Busters provide a good source of damage to build up your rage meter easily.
  • Your Rocket Specialist upgrade is very useful against Sentry Busters. The upgrade allows you to stun and deal maximum damage to it. Keep firing until it is dead, but stay away from its blast.

Leaderboard class pyro.png Pyro

  • Your airblast is invaluable, so make sure to face the robot with full ammunition.
  • An easy way to alert your teammates of a Sentry Buster’s presence is to light it on fire and make it more noticeable, as well as to damage it.
  • Hitting a Sentry Buster with the Scorch Shot forces the Sentry Buster to stop for a second. This can be good in a situation where you cannot airblast.
  • Max out the airblast force upgrade to push Sentry Busters back. If you can, you can knock them into an environmental hazard, such as a pitfall.
  • Although airblasting can save your teammates' lives and time, using it carelessly is more harmful than helpful.
    • Sometimes when Sentry Busters have decided to self-destruct in mid-air, it only plays the sound but doesn't play the self-destructing animation. This can be very confusing especially for new players and thus can lead to an unexpected death.
    • Your team's Engineer should be ready to deal with the Buster. Airblasting just to buy him time can end up making him waste more time, waiting for the Buster to reach him.
    • A bouncing robot is almost always harder to hit than a robot traveling in a predictable path. Overusing your airblast can make it harder for teammates to deal with the Buster and a living Buster can accidentally block incoming fire for other robots, as well as distract teammates from dealing with other threats.
  • Due to the Sentry Buster's large health pool, you can get a considerable amount of Mmmph with the Phlogistinator. Chase them down to get as much Mmmph from them as you can when there's no other way of building Mmmph faster or engaging other robots to build Mmmph is too risky.

Leaderboard class demoman.png Demoman

  • Demoman doesn't profit too much from the presence of the Sentry Buster, and thus they should avoid shooting the Buster when there's other robots to take down.
  • With the Scottish Resistance, you can plant extra stickies near an Engineer’s nest. If the Sentry Buster gets near, detonate them to weaken and hopefully kill it right away. Just make sure not to put them too close that the robot will still be in range of the buildings.
    • However, if the Engineer is prepared for any incoming Busters, it may be a better idea to invest your stickies in other areas to halt robot advances.
  • Use the Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen, or Tide Turner to escape the explosion if you're caught right next to a Buster during detonation.

Leaderboard class heavy.png Heavy

  • Stand near the Engineer's Dispenser and help defend him with your Minigun.
  • Natascha slows down Sentry Busters immensely. Use it if you have enough time to keep the Sentry Buster pinned down.
    • However, the damage penalty can make killing other robots harder.
  • Sentry Busters have a large health pool; you can build a considerable amount of rage from each one.
  • The Gloves of Running Urgently can be used to avoid the Sentry Buster if it detonates near you.
  • The Fists of Steel may provide damage resistance against explosions, but even combining it with maxed-out blast resistance barely gives you much chance of surviving the blast.

Leaderboard class engineer.png Engineer

  • Sentry Busters are there just because of you, and it's mostly your job to deal with them, not your team's.
  • Do not pick your Sentry up and run around the map just to buy your team some time to destroy it. Most of the time, they have more important things to do and you not being at your post could be their undoing.
  • Put your other buildings far away from your main Sentry Gun. This will allow them to stay intact even if your Sentry is destroyed.
  • Like Giant Robots, Sentry Busters can trample and instantly destroy your non-Sentry buildings. If you're familiar with the Sentry Buster's path, position your Dispenser out of the way so that the Sentry Buster doesn't run it over.
  • As soon as the Sentry Buster comes to your Sentry and prepares to detonate, grab your Sentry and run as fast as you can. Note that grabbing a Sentry too late will cause you and your Sentry to be destroyed. The Rescue Ranger reduces this risk, by allowing you to wait until the Sentry Buster approaches your Sentry Gun, then grabbing it from afar as it arms itself.
    • If you have a bit of free time, you can simply grab your Sentry Gun, run to the Sentry Buster and touch it, then move away from the explosion. This saves you more time because you don't have to wait for the Sentry Buster to detonate to put the sentry down in your regular spot. This also eliminates the time your Sentry exclusively shoots the Sentry Buster as it walks up to your Sentry Gun.
    • If you are standing near an edge, try to fall off it with your Sentry Gun. Note that a horde of other robots may be under the cliff, so plan your retreat. Also be aware of any fall damage you may take.
    • If your Sentry is placed near a corner, pick up your Sentry and run around the corner once the Sentry Buster starts to detonate. The wall will protect you and your Sentry from the Sentry Buster’s explosion.
    • You can run toward a group of robots and detonate the Sentry Buster on top of them. The resulting explosion will kill robots and knock back giants. This is best accomplished with resistance upgrades so you don't die from either the Buster's explosion or the other robots' attacks.
  • There are locations on some maps where Sentry Busters will take a while to reach, as they cannot jump. Know those locations so you can stall the Sentry Buster and time your escape.
  • If there is more than one Engineer on the map, you should refrain from Sentry Stacking (placing your main Sentry Guns next to each other) to prevent a single Sentry Buster from destroying all of them.
  • Having only 1 Engineer is advised because the appearance of multiple busters at once may confuse which Buster targets which Sentry Gun.
  • Wrangling your Sentry will not shield it from the explosion.
  • Use your ÜberCharge Canteen to protect you and your Sentry from the explosion as a very last resort. Note that it will not protect your other buildings, and you may still take knockback.
    • However, you can "surf" the knockback if you are out of position or the bomb has moved.
  • Make sure your buildings are not in the way of the path of the Sentry Buster, otherwise they will get destroyed since the Sentry Buster can simply walk through them and trample them, no matter how much health they may have.
  • When dealing with Sentry Busters, make sure you detonate them behind the team's defense and not in the middle of a bunch of teammates. Pick up your Sentry and let the Buster self-destruct away from the front line.
  • If you have some downtime in the wave, try letting the Sentry Buster destroy your Sentry Gun. Saving your gun will result in Sentry Busters being spawned more frequently until the Sentry is destroyed, if ever.

Leaderboard class medic.png Medic

  • Because the Ubersaw gives Medic 25% of his ÜberCharge when he scores a successful hit against a Sentry Buster, Medics can gain a large amount of charge with a single Buster and ÜberCharge his teammates with Über/Crit/mega-heal/resistance more often. Thus, if dealt with correctly, the Sentry Buster can benefit the Medic way more than harming him.
    • However, do not chase the Buster if you or your team has to risk dying due to your moving away from your section. Remember, dead teammates will weaken your defensive line, and dying yourself destroys all your charge unless using the Vita-Saw, which will salvage up to 60% of it.
    • It is advised not to attempt this when you already have a shield deployed. Switching away from your Medi Gun disables the shield and it cannot be reactivated until the Medi Gun is redeployed. Balance out the cost to decide whether to build your ÜberCharge or keep your shield running. Remember, keeping the shield running can save many of your teammates' lives and thus benefits your team more when there's a huge amount of incoming projectiles.
  • If you're using the Vaccinator, don’t hesitate to use your resistance in dangerous situations on the Engineer or yourself.
  • If you're caught with the Sentry Buster right next to you and it's about to explode, popping your ÜberCharge (Or Über canteen, if you're using the Quick-Fix, Kritzkrieg, or Vaccinator) can save you from dying and losing all your charge. Remember the catchphrase: pop it, don't drop it.

Leaderboard class sniper.png Sniper

The hitboxes of a Sentry Buster.
  • While it doesn't look like it, Sentry Busters do have head hitboxes that are vulnerable to headshots. Hitting the very topmost pin of the Sentry Buster will do headshot damage.
    • Upgrading explosive headshot slows the Buster if you score a successful headshot. It will also damage robots around the Buster. More points in the upgrade means the Buster will be slowed down more, the slow effect will last longer, and robots will be hurt in a wider radius around it.
    • Busters are one of the hardest robots to score headshots on due to their incredible speed and their "invisible" head. Focus your shots carefully or target other threats, if you have no time to work on it.
  • The best and most effective means of helping your team would be to throw Jarate on a Sentry Buster. With the slowdown upgrade, you can reduce the Buster's speed to a crawl and make scoring headshots on them far more easier.
    • In particular, the Bushwacka can wreak havoc on a Sentry Buster coated with Jarate. Then again, it may be more productive to worry about other threats, if they're present.

Leaderboard class spy.png Spy

  • Sapping the Sentry Buster kills most of its speed for a short period of time. Make sure to sap it as soon as your teammates can attack it effectively. Otherwise, save it to sap higher priority targets such as Über Medics or giants.
    • Working with a Medic, you can sap the Sentry Buster and then signal the Medic to use his Ubersaw on it to gain ÜberCharge, if he lacks a full charge.
    • Sapping a Sentry Buster can buy the Engineer more time to either pick off more robots before dealing with the Sentry Buster, or to reach his Sentry Gun to pick it up, if he is not close enough or respawning.
  • Sentry Busters cannot be backstabbed, as made obvious by the lack of a back to stab. They can still be headshot with the Ambassador if you hit the top pin, like a Sniper.
  • Remember, the Sentry Buster will explode when its health runs out or reaches its target, so give yourself time to get clear of the blast. If that isn't possible, the Dead Ringer can save you from death by the Sentry Buster's explosion, though this should only be used as a last resort, as it means you will have to get it recharged before going back to work on the robots.