The Best Jedi Sentinel Builds in SWTOR

Jedi Watchman Build

The Jedi Watchman focuses on DoT (Damage over Time) attacks. They have low burst damage potential, especially compared to the other flavors of Sentinels, but their sustain damage potential is nothing to scoff at.

The Watchman’s strong defensive capabilities allow for something of a safety net when taking damage to make up for the style’s weak burst damage output. Making sure your DoTs are doing the most damage possible and are active as long as possible is the most important thing for a Jedi Watchman.

Main Abilities

Icon	Ability
	Zen – This ability is unique for every type of Sentinel. The Watchman’s unique Zen ability gives them 6 stacks of a proc also called Zen. Each stack of Zen makes all burn damage an automatic critical hit. Whenever this happens, your stack of Zen is consumed. Additionally, Zen partially heals your entire group. To maximize effectiveness, use Zen right before casting Force Melt.
	Centering – The best way to think of Centering is to remember that all your abilities which spend Focus also generate Centering. Centering allows you to use certain abilities, such as Zen. This is less so an ability and more so a resource to manage. Using Introspection will give you 30 stacks of Centering.
	Force Melt – Force Melt is the beginning of all your DoTs. It damages the target on the initial strike before applying a DoT which lasts 9 seconds. This ability should be used in tandem with Zen every time it becomes available. Force Melt is the foundation of the Watchman’s rotation.
	Cauterize – Cauterize is fairly simple but very important. It is similar to Force Melt in that it deals strike damage followed by a DoT. However, Cauterize is focused more on the DoT aspect. The initial hit damage is so minor that it’s largely negligible in most encounters. Use Cauterize to extend your DoTs.
	Merciless Slash – This ability is one of your most powerful attacks, alongside Force Melt. While the damage this deals is nothing to scoff at, you’re going to want to put high priority on it more so for the buffs and debuffs it causes. It makes all your burn effects deal 5% more damage for 6 seconds while also making the target take 7% more damage from all Elemental attacks. Essentially, this is an attack that bolsters your DoTs. When used in synergy with your other burn abilities, Merciless Slash can significantly improve your sustained damage potential.
	Zealous Strike – Zealous Strike is what you are going to use to generate Focus. As soon as Zealous Strike is used, you generate 6 Focus. Don’t use this ability until you are low on Focus (ideally around 3 or 4) to ensure you efficiently refill your Focus bar. You should be paying constant attention to how much focus you have so you avoid running out, which will prevent you from using most of your abilities. If you see that your Focus is getting low, use Zealous Strike to refill it.
	Dispatch – Dispatch is a simple execution ability. Essentially, this ability does a significant amount of damage but can only be used when the target is below 30% health. Once your target drops below that threshold, use Dispatch whenever you can.

Additional abilities to consider are:

Icon	Ability
	Force Sweep, Cyclone Slash, and Twin Saber Throw – These are AoE (area of effect) abilities. A technique called DoT bouncing can be achieved by using Force Sweep to switch which targets your DoTs are applied to before the DoT ends, which can extend their time and damage.

Opener, Rotation, and Priorities

• Before the encounter starts, use Introspection and/or Valorous Call to make sure your health is as close to maximum as possible and that you have 30 stacks of centering.
• Begin the fight by using Force Leap to build Focus and deal a bit of starting damage.
• Use Zen, Force Melt, and Cauterize to begin your DoTs. (Zen and Force Melt should almost always be used only in tandem).
• Use Merciless Slash to deal a massive amount of damage.
• When the previous 4 abilities are on cooldown, alternate between Slash and Zealous Strike (when your Focus gets low). If you get surrounded, add Cyclone Slash to this alternation and use Force Sweep to DoT bounce.
• Once Zen, Force Melt, Cauterize, and Merciless Slash go off of cooldown, use them immediately and in that order. Once the enemy gets below 30% HP, add Dispatch to this rotation immediately after Merciless Slash.

Best Ability Tree Choices

Icon	Level	Talent
	23	You’re given the option of changing Force Melt. Pick Melting Center here, as this allows you to use Zen more often and heals you whenever you begin your rotation, both significant upgrades to the ability.
	27	Choose Transcendence. Many of the most challenging encounters in the game use mobility debuffs which can cripple any team. Using Transcendence on your allies is a significant boon in any of these situations.
	39	Choose Flaming Wave. This gives the Watchman another AoE opportunity while not trading it for anything significant.
	43	Choose Burning Center. This synergizes nicely with Melting Center and is one of the largest improvements to your damage potential in the entire tree.
	51	Choose Intercessor if you plan on primarily playing solo. Otherwise, choose Steel Self if you plan to play in a group.
	64	Choose Zealous Ward. This will give you another opportunity for healing, which is useful for any DPS.
	68	Choose Blade Blitz. Take this for the same reason you took Transcendence.
	73	Finally, choose Stoic. Inspired Focus does give you another healing option, however, to utilize it you need to delay using Zen. Delaying Zen usage is not worth the extra healing in this case, and Stoic will help you use Zen just a bit more often.

Best Gear

Upon reaching level 80, focus on acquiring as much Gold tier gear at the highest Item Rating possible (currently this number is 336). After all of your ear has reached this level, here are some tips on how to optimize your gear loadouts:

• The best Relics for a Jedi Watchman are Focused Retribution and Devastating Vengeance.
• The best Legendary Implants for a Jedi Watchman are Fearless Victor and Berserker’s Call. Dispatcher is also viable but not ideal.
• Go to the Jedi Knight class vendor in the Republic Fleet and buy either the Spiteful Saber tactical item or the Malmourral Mask tactical item. Spiteful Saber should be used for group content, Malmourral Mask should be used for solo content.

Combat Sentinel Build

The Combat Sentinel is like your standard MMO DPS, specializing in burst damage and dealing devastating blows with each swing. You can choose to play as a straightforward damage dealer, keeping things simple and focusing solely on dealing out punishment. Alternatively, you can opt for a more intricate approach, delving into the tactical aspects of the class.

It’s entirely up to you how deep you want to dive. Similar to the Watchman specialization, while Combat Sentinels do possess some abilities to handle groups of enemies, their true strength lies in singling out individual targets and swiftly dispatching them with ruthless precision.

Main Abilities

Icon	Ability
	Zen – This ability is unique for every type of Sentinel. For Combat, each stack of Zen increases your character’s alacrity by 30%. Alacrity is a resource which reduces the cast and cooldown times of your abilities. Using this efficiently allows for the Combat Sentinel to channel their greatest strength: very quick burst damage.
	Centering – The best way to think of Centering is to remember that all your abilities which spend Focus also generate Centering. Centering allows you to use certain abilities, such as Zen. This is less so an ability and more so a resource to manage. Using Introspection will give you 30 stacks of Centering.
	Lance – This ability is straightforward; it deals a lot of damage with both lightsabers.
	Blade Rush – This ability is going to be used to fill in the gaps between your rotations, similar to how Slash is used in the Jedi Watchman rotation. Generally, you are going to want to use Blade Rush in tandem with Zen. At the start of your rotation, you will use both at once.
	Precision – This ability causes the next two attacks you make to ignore armor, which allows for crazy boosts to your burst damage outputs.
	Zealous Strike – Zealous Strike is what you are going to use to generate Focus. As soon as Zealous Strike is used, you generate 6 Focus. Don’t use this ability until you are low on Focus (ideally around 3 or 4) to ensure you efficiently refill your Focus bar. You should be paying constant attention to how much focus you have so you avoid running out, which will prevent you from using most of your abilities. If you see that your Focus is getting low, use Zealous Strike to refill it.
	Dispatch – Dispatch is a simple execution ability. Essentially, this ability does a significant amount of damage but can only be used when the target is below 30% health. Once your target drops below that threshold, use Dispatch whenever you can.

Additional abilities to consider are:

Icon	Ability
	Cyclone Slash – Cyclone Slash is an AoE spam attack. If you find yourself facing a group of enemies, replace some of the Blade Rushes in your rotation with Cyclone Slashes.
	Clashing Blast – This ability deals massive damage and should only be used immediately after activating Precision.

Opener, Rotation, and Priorities

• Before the encounter starts, use Introspection and/or Valorous Call to make sure your health is as close to maximum as possible and to allow you to use Inspiration.
• Begin the encounter by using Twin Saber Throw followed by Force Leap.
• Memorize the following chain of abilities. Combat Sentinel can be particularly difficult because this ideal rotation does not allow much room for error. The rotation is:
  • Zen, Blade Rush, Precision, Blade Rush, Dispatch, Clashing Blast, Blade Rush, Zealous Strike, Blade Rush x3, Precision, Lance, Clashing Blast, Blade Barrage, Zealous Strike, Blade Rush, Twin Saber Throw, Blade Rush.
    • This rotation was originally developed by Bagern, a SWTOR community member.

Best Ability Tree Choices

Icon	Level	Talent
	23	Choose Zen Lance. This will allow you to use Lance significantly more often while also giving you a bit more crit chance.
	27	Choose Transcendence. Many of the most challenging encounters in the game use mobility debuffs which can cripple any team. Using Transcendence on your allies is a significant boon in any of these situations.
	39	Pick Rush Down for solo content and Valor Blade for group content.
	43	Choose Swiftness. The crit chance boost from this cannot be ignored.
	51	Choose Intercessor if you plan on primarily playing solo. Otherwise, choose Steel Self if you plan to play in a group.
	64	Choose Zealous Ward. This will give you another opportunity for healing, which is useful for any DPS.
	68	Choose Guarded by the Force. This ability boosts your defensive capabilities, which is always good for DPS characters.
	73	Choose Inspired Focus. Again, healing is good for Combat Sentinels especially who generally forego defensiveness in favor of high amounts of burst damage.

Best Gear

Upon reaching level 80, focus on acquiring as much Gold tier gear at the highest Item Rating possible (currently this number is 336). After all of your gear has reached this level, here are some tips on how to optimize your gear loadouts:

• Go to the Jedi Knight class vendor in the Republic Fleet and buy the Shard of Mortis tactical item.
• The best Relic for a Combat Sentinel is Serendipitous Assault. This will boost your DPS even further beyond its normal limits.
• The best Legendary Implants for a Combat Sentinel are Fearless Victor and Dispatcher.

Concentration Sentinel Build

The Concentration Sentinel strikes a balance between focused single-target damage and AoE damage, making them a versatile choice for players who desire the benefits without the drawbacks of other combat styles. Among all the Sentinel combat styles, Concentration Sentinels truly shine when it comes to handling multiple enemies simultaneously.

While the other styles rely on niche abilities to deal with groups, such as the Watchman’s DoT bouncing, Concentration Sentinels have the potential to build a playstyle entirely focused on clearing groups, which is not only viable but also effective. However, they are equally adept at tackling single enemy encounters if that’s the direction you prefer to take.

Main Abilities

Icon	Ability
	Zen – This ability is unique for every type of Sentinel. For Concentration, Zen grants you 4 points of Focus immediately, with another 8 points gained over a short time. This is needed for Concentration Sentinels, as they will have the hardest time managing resources out of the 3 styles.
	Centering – The best way to think of Centering is to remember that all your abilities which spend Focus also generate Centering. Centering allows you to use certain abilities, such as Zen. This is less so an ability and more so a resource to manage. Using Introspection will give you 30 stacks of Centering.
	Focused Burst – This ability can be upgraded to provide AoE damage and adds a strong group damage attack to your arsenal. Use this in conjunction with Force Exhaustion.
	Force Exhaustion – Using this ability allows Focused Burst to deal more damage and to be cast for free. Use this immediately before Focused Burst.
	Zealous Strike – Zealous Strike is what you are going to use to generate Focus. As soon as Zealous Strike is used, you generate 6 Focus. Don’t use this ability until you are low on Focus (ideally around 3 or 4) to ensure you efficiently refill your Focus bar. You should be paying constant attention to how much focus you have so you avoid running out, which will prevent you from using most of your abilities. If you see that your Focus is getting low, use Zealous Strike to refill it.
	Dispatch – Dispatch is a simple execution ability. Essentially, this ability does a significant amount of damage but can only be used when the target is below 30% health. Once your target drops below that threshold, use Dispatch whenever you can.

Opener, Rotation, and Priorities

• Before the fight starts, use Introspection or Valorous Call to gain Centering.
• Open the fight by using Force Leap.
• Memorize the following pattern:
  • Zen, Blade Barrage, Focused Burst, Concentrated Slice, Slash (replace Slash with Dispatch when available), Zealous Leap, Zealous Strike, Force Exhaustion, Focused Burst, Concentrated Slice, Slash (replace Slash with Dispatch when available), Zealous Leap, Blade Storm.
• Repeat this rotation until the encounter has finished, using other abilities as needed.

Best Ability Tree Choices

Icon	Level	Talent
	23	Choose Zenith. This will boost the damage of your strongest attacks.
	27	Choose Transcendence. Many of the most challenging encounters in the game use mobility debuffs which can cripple any team. Using Transcendence on your allies is a significant boon in any of these situations.
	39	Choose Zealous Revelation, as this is essential for allowing Zealous Leap to comfortably fit into the rotation.
	43	Choose Focused Meditation. This will boost your damage significantly.
	51	Choose Gravity Vortex. This will bolster your defensive potential.
	64	Choose Zealous Ward. This will give you another opportunity for healing, which is useful for any DPS.
	68	Choose Guarded by the Force. This ability boosts your defensive capabilities, which is always good for DPS characters.
	73	Choose Inspired Focus for its defensive potential.

Best Gear

Upon reaching level 80, focus on acquiring as much Gold tier gear at the highest Item Rating possible (currently this number is 336). After all of your ear has reached this level, here are some tips on how to optimize your gear loadouts:

• Go to the Jedi Knight class vendor in the Republic Fleet and purchase the Cauterized Coronary tactical item.
• The best Relics to use as a Concentration Sentinel are Focused Retribution, Serendipitous Assault, Devastating Vengeance, and Primeval Fatesealer. It’s up to you whether you prefer the simpler raw damage bonus of the former two or the more technical boosts to your criticals and alacrity stat from the latter two.
• The best Legendary Implants for a Concentration Sentinel are Fearless Victor and Berserker’s Call.