Sentinel beam

Summary

The Sentinel Beam is a Forerunner weapon connected to Sentinels to control outbreaks of The Flood. It appears as an orange beam of energy that can cut through most forms of the Flood parasite. The blue Sentinel beam is a stronger, more efficient version of the common orange Sentinel Beam and overheats less. Some think that the Sentinels use their beams to cut things like grass. That might explain why the plants in Halo: Combat Evolved were not growing on the buildings (of course, it could also just be a lack of detail in the game's design). It has been dubbed "Shower".

In Multiplayer, the Sentinel Beam appears by default in the bases on Backwash and on Desolation.

Like many weapons, it cannot be used in Halo: Combat Evolved.

Combat Usage

The Sentinel Beam is not player-usable in Halo: Combat Evolved. However, it can be used in Halo 2.

The Sentinel Beam runs on an non-rechargeable battery with a maximum charge of 100%. Like the Covenant's plasma weapons, it can overheat and will do so if 23% of the battery is used in one continuous stream. It is effective against most kinds of Flood and Sentinels, and can deplete shields like plasma weapons.

A continuous hit from a Sentinel Beam can be devastating against any opponent.

The beam used by the sentinels at Onyx were evidently a golden color and, while they took significantly longer to charge, were thought at one point to be capable of destroying a fully shielded Spartan, and even a fully shielded Covenant destroyer, in one blast. It may be worth noting that there were some other differences between the sentinels on Onyx and the ones in the games, as was pointed out by the character Dr. Halsey.

In Halo 2 campaign, the Sentinel Beam is a fearsome, all around good weapon. It sports a high rate of fire, amazing accuracy, and great damage against both shielded and unshielded opponents. The Beams reticule is also reasonably centered, providing quick centering of targets. The melee attack is about as strong as that of a rocket launchers.

Tactics

Close Range

At close range simply fire as much beam as possible, followed by a quick melee. This is a near sure kill in Normal modes of difficulty.

Mid Range

At mid range, the Sentinel Beam is best used a suppression weapon, as it takes a while to kill a shielded opponent. Make sure that your teammates have good killing weapons; that way, you can weaken many enemies at one time.

No Overheat

It is possible to fire a continuous beam without the danger of overheating. Simply press the R button repeatedly, which will cause the same reaction as holding it down, but the weapon will stay cooled.

Character Compatibility

• Elites
• Spartans
• Brutes (Have animation, but not used)
• Flood Combat Form (Human)
• Flood Combat Form (Elite)
• Sentinels

Related Links

• Sentinels