GTFO is a squad-based cooperative survival shooter, and as such it shares a lot of traits with other, similar games. For example, it has a large and expanding arsenal of weapons from which to choose. There are consumable (single-use) items, like grenades and medical packs. Players choose their loadout in GTFO by selecting two weapons, a melee weapon, and a tool.
Tools in GTFO are quite similar in appearance and usage to weapons. Some of them, like the Mine Deployer, are weapons. One type of tool that should be brought by at least one squad member is the sentry. There are four different sentry types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Even though the developers tried to balance the capabilities of these sentries, some are clearly better than others. Keep in mind that some sentries are not be available in every Rundown.
4 AutoTek 51 RSG Sniper Sentry
- Maximum Ammo: 48.1
- Damage: High
- Rate of Fire: Low
- Range: Long
The Sniper Sentry is powerful and has excellent range, but it is nevertheless the lowest ranked sentry in GTFO. For starters, the Sniper Sentry has a slow rate-of-fire. Sure, it does enough damage to kill many enemy types with one shot (without the need for a headshot), but sentries don't automatically hit their targets. They miss; not often, but enough to remind players that they can miss. Another thing to keep in mind is that this sentry doesn't carry a lot of ammo. The slow rate-of-fire helps with ammo conservation, but this sentry seems to run out of ammo faster than the others, mainly because of it long range capabilities.
Deploying the Sniper Sentry in a large room, long hallway, or against larger and stronger enemies, really allows it to shine. Two Sniper Sentries can kill enemy types like the Big Striker and Big Shooter with surprising speed. Unfortunately, this sentry's powerful shots do not make up for the slow rate-of-fire. Enemies can and will get past this sentry unharmed. That's not only a bad thing, but also an indicator that this sentry isn't that good at its job.
3 Rad Labs Meduza Auto Sentry
- Maximum Ammo: 877
- Damage: Low
- Rate of Fire: High
- Range: Medium
The Auto Sentry is a deployable machine gun that is superb in situations where crowd control is needed. One of the best aspects about this sentry is the constant rate-of-fire. The Auto Sentry is relentless when enemies are swarming the squad's position. It's the weakest sentry in terms of damage per shot; however, the constant stream of bullets pouring out of this sentry more than makes up for the low damage.
A well-placed auto sentry — preferably in front of a door — can leave the party with nothing to do but some light mop-up duty. The generous ammo capacity of the Auto Sentry makes it useful for multiple encounters. This sentry's medium range also gives it more flexibility in terms of placement, and gives more time for the low-damage shots to add up to a kill.
The shortcomings of this sentry's damage potential become obvious is when fighting large numbers of stronger enemies. In these situations, the Auto Sentry seems like a water pistol trying to put out a wildfire. One last positive aspect to remember about the Auto Sentry, though, is that it has an 8x stagger rate. Staggering enemies is a game mechanic that players should exploit as much as possible. It's a lot easier to score a headshot on staggered enemies.
2 Mechatronic B5 LFR Shotgun Sentry
- Maximum Ammo: 42
- Damage: High
- Rate of Fire: Low
- Range: Short
The Shotgun Sentry is borderline overpowered in some situations — specifically, facing a narrow choke point. This sentry has an incredibly powerful shot. Weaker enemies, like Strikers, don't stand a chance of surviving once they get within range. The range of the Shotgun Sentry leaves a lot to be desired, but this short range is just as beneficial. Closer enemies are easier to hit, and this sentry almost never misses.
The short range also acts as an alarm. Sentries with longer ranges might be firing at an enemy down a long hallway. If the Shotgun Sentry starts firing, players know this means the enemy is very close (probably in the same room).
Even with the high damage per shot, the slow rate-of-fire means that there will be an occasional enemy that manages to slip past this sentry. Unlike the Sniper sentry though, an enemy that gets past the Shotgun Sentry will likely not do so unscathed. The maximum ammo count may seem low, but it actually lasts quite a while due to the slow fire rate.
1 Mechatronic SGB3 Burst Sentry
- Maximum Ammo: 269
- Damage: Medium
- Rate of Fire: Medium
- Range: Medium
The Burst Sentry is the best sentry in GTFO. It's not quite as good at crowd control as the Shotgun or Auto Sentries; however, it has better range than the Shotgun Sentry and does more damage than the Auto Sentry. This is also the sentry that is easiest to place, meaning it's harder to accidently deploy this sentry in a bad location.
It's medium rating in all categories gives the Burst Sentry a great deal of flexibility when picking a spot to set it down. This sentry doesn't suffer (as much) from being ineffective against larger foes, like the Auto Sentry can be. Even though this sentry fires in bursts, it is basically a slow machine gun in terms of rate-of-fire. The trade-off between rate-of-fire and damage favors the Burst Sentry over the Auto Sentry.
The maximum ammo count may seem a bit low. The burst shooting helps make the ammo last longer, and also helps cut-down on misses. On a final note, the Burst Sentry staggers enemies as well as the Auto Sentry. The importance of staggering enemies cannot be stressed enough. The other sentries are great in certain situation, but not ideal in others. The Burst Sentry is pretty good in every situation.