The optimal position of a sentry gun

team-fortress-2tf2-engineer

Often, maps feature alcoves or corners in which one can comfortably fit a sentry gun, usually with a nice inviting ammo box with it. I wonder, however: what's the optimal sentry placement?

The main threats to sentries are demomen grenades and sticky bombs, spy sappers and übers of all kinds. I don't think much can be done about the second and the third; perhaps the former and the firing range can be worked upon however.

Certainly, some positions are better than others. Assuming enemies come from the left:

--- XXXXX----X    X-----XXXXXX----- ???  ---
  |   XXX|  |X    X|   |XXXXXX|   |   ?  |
  |    XX|  |X    X|   |XXXXXX|   |  ?   |
  |     X|  |XXXXXX|   |XXXXXX|   |  .   |
  --------  --------   --------   --------
  easy to   easy to    easy to    easy to
  grenade   sticky     über       sap
  (or hit)

How can I optimally place a sentry?

Best Answer

The best place to locate a sentry is where the enemy doesn't know it is. However, that only works once at most if you're lucky and they didn't hear it for some reason.

When strategizing with your sentry placement, remember to rely on yourself and your team to back it up. SGs are phenomenally accurate and can mow down most classes in 1-2 seconds. One of the most effective locations to place sentries is where enemies coming around a corner will be unable to see and hit it before they are well in your team's field of fire. Most people will get caught up on shooting whoever's shooting them, and be an excellent distraction while your sentry's mowing them down.

In your alcove case, I would try to place it against the wall towards the enemy, as if they walk by,

  1. their field of view will either
    • not allow them to see it, so they will have to spend a split second aiming at it, all the while being laid into by it, or
    • if they are looking at it, then your team, further down the hall giving you support, will be able to fire at the enemy without challenge
  2. the force from the bullets will drive the enemy further into the sentry's field of view, rather than in the "safe" retreating direction, towards the rest of their team

Here it is in ASCII because I'm too lazy to make it in paint.exe

Enemy ->           <- Your team
       ---       ---
         |       |  
         |X      |  
         |       |  
         ---------

As the occasional soldier, whenever the second point is violated and there is insufficient support being given to the sentry, it's as good as dead because I can peek around the corner and peck it to death (or blow it all up at once as demo).

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