How To Play Sentinels In Valorant: Complete Guide

Of all the Valorant agent classes, Sentinels differ the most. But their importance in team composition isn't something to be undervalued. So if you wanted to pick up a Sentinel agent, here you'll learn everything you need to know!

Cypher Killjoy 1920x1080
How to play Sentinel agents! | © Riot Games

Sentinels are agents that work from the backside to achieve wins in Valorant. Unlike Duelists, Sentinels can't be played aggressively. Almost every team has a Sentinel agent on their side, especially Sage. So if you want to support your teammates, fear not, as here you'll get a complete guide on Sentinel agents in Valorant!

Valorant Sentinel Agents Overview

There are currently 4 Sentinel agents in Valorant. Sage and Chamber are the oddballs of the group, but their abilities are suited for support as Sentinels. You can check out how to play each individual Sentinel agent here:

From locking down sites to watching enemy flanks, Sentinels do need some brainpower and aim to be played properly. So do you want to support your team with your abilities? Next up, you'll learn exactly that in this Sentinels guide!

How To Attack With Sentinels In Valorant

Attacking and doing aggressive plays are non-existent in Sentinel agents. But that's not to say their abilities can't support the team like a pro. When attacking with Sentinels, your main goal should be to defend flanks and backstabbers. Placing Chamber's Trademark or Cypher's Tripwire ability right at the entrance where you're attacking will give you and your team information if someone's trying to come from the back.

Cypher Attacking Flank Tripwire
Perfect Cypher example for attacking on Split! | © Peak, Youtube Screenshot

Above we have a perfect example on Split. Placing a trap with Chamber, Cypher, or Killjoy at the door from Mid will alert you of enemy lurkers. Sage doesn't function the same, but her focus is more on healing the Duelists and reviving them. Though her wall has tons of uses in post-plant situations. And that's where Sentinel agents also shine. Closing off entire sections with Sage's wall or placing traps on angles and openings from where the enemies can appear will give you all the info you need to win the game.

Valorant Sage Bind Wall Attacking
Sage wall for attacking on Bind! | © Riot Games, Screencapture

A key part when attacking with a Sentinel agent is not to rush the site. You'll get killed instantly with a Yoru flash, so you won't be able to give your team any information about the enemies. So keep yourself safe in the back and watch some obvious angles until you take control of the site.

How To Defend With Sentinels In Valorant

Defending is the sweet cup of tea for Sentinel agents. That's where they most prosper, often being able to overlook a whole site by themselves. Your job as a Sentinel agent in defending is to set up your traps on angles and openings from where the enemy can enter the site. This way, you'll know if the enemies are trying to push, and your traps will hold them back while helping you kill them with your Vandal. These traps are also helpful to keep the enemies at bay until your team rotates for a fair fight.

Valorant KJ Turret Bind
Killjoy's turret to locate the enemies! | © Riot Games, Screencapture

The hard part when defending with Sentinels is changing your ability placements occasionally. If you place your abilities at the same spot every time your enemies will know where they are and shoot them down every single time. This obviously doesn't apply to Sage's wall.

Valorant Sentinels Tips and Tricks

To top off the Sentinels guide, here are some Sentinel tips and tricks you should know to climb ranks faster:

  • Learn agent setups: Sentinel agents work best when you know your setups. Learning where to place that Sage wall or Killjoy turret is trivial as some placements will hold the enemies back and give you more information than simple monkey placements
  • Keep notice of your Credits: using all of your abilities isn't cheap, especially when you're defending as a Sentinel. You'll often find yourself utilizing all abilities. For example, Chamber's full ability buy is 1100 credits, while Cypher's full ability buy is 600 credits (costing a little over a Ghost)
  • Play sneaky: you don't want to head into aggressive plays as a Sentinel. Staying back and waiting until the enemies hit your traps is the best way to pick off kills
  • Ping or tell your team of enemy information: never forget to ping your team and tell them where the enemies are located if your traps go off. You're a support agent as a Sentinel, so you won't be of much use if you don't fulfill your role

Are you ready to support your team from the backlines as a Sentinel? If so, don't forget to visit our Discord server and tell us all about your journey in mastering this agent class!

Dean Nastevski
Dean Nastevski