Sentinel Walker (2024)

The subject of this article is from the Outlaws update. The information from this article is up-to-date as of 19 July, 2022.

The subject of this article is from the Outlaws update.
The information from this article is up-to-date as of 19 July, 2022.

Sentinel Walker
Type	Sentinel
Description	Sentinel walker unit

Sentinel Walkers, also called Bipedal Walkers or simply Walkers, are high-level Sentinel units.

Summary[ | ]

Sentinel Walkers are the most advanced land-based Sentinels in No Man's Sky. They are bipedal and exceptionally large in stature. They are most often seen when a player's wanted level has increased past the three-star level, though they may also be encountered as guards at certain secure sites, especially on high-security planets.

Their two legs are double-jointed, with the top joint bending backwards like an ostrich and the lower joint bending in the same direction as a human knee (exactly opposite to the large sauropods on pre-release planet Vesta Prime). The main body/head is observably oversized, making them appear top-heavy.

Combat behaviour[ | ]

Unlike Sentinel Quads, Sentinel Walkers attack exclusively using ranged weaponry. While their leg and upper torso armour is intact, they will regularly charge and sweep a laser across players, though this laser can be blocked with well-timed use of a Personal Forcefield. The laser tracks the player very strongly, though it can also be outrun by sprinting perpendicular to it at a great enough distance (or with enough movement upgrades). The lower torso takes no damage until all four pieces of leg armour and the upper torso armour have been broken, at which point the Walker releases a single barrage of plasma launcher-like explosives directly around itself and switches permanently to a rapid-fire projectile attack that can be dodged much more easily than the original beam attack. Once it has switched to this second phase, its core health can be damaged by attacking the torso. The weak point is a small grey plate near the top of the lower torso. Once it is dead, its Walker Brain item can be retrieved from the Combat Supplies container it drops.

Arguably, the second stage of combat is much easier to deal with, as the projectile bolts have a lower flight speed rather than being a sustained hitscan laser, so strafing at a distance can prevent any bolts from hitting. Circling the Walker or changing strafe direction once the Walker's magazine is empty can lock it into a cycle of turning and then inaccurately opening fire, effectively leaving it completely open. The reload time on the projectile attack is fairly long, providing a good opportunity for a player to land attacks against it.

An arguably easier strategy than attempting to fight on an open field is to use the terrain manipulator's create mode to build a column in front of the walker that goes all the way up to height of the laser, then build a wall at laser height on either side, forming a wide T shape. The walker has poor pathfinding and will simply fire into the rock wall instead of walking around this structure, giving you as much time as you need to engage the other sentinels. Once its reinforcements are gone, a hole can be cut in the bottom with the terrain manipulator's mine mode, exposing its legs to fire from even the weakest weapons. If you have a plasma launcher, you can cut a hole out of the top of the structure just big enough to let indirect fire through to the torso without exposing yourself to the laser. The edges of the upper torso can still be exposed to direct fire in this way, but it takes a lot of care not to let the laser through.

Walkers are also much more cognizant of the player's presence, and appear to have a broader range of view than other sentinels. Hiding inside a building does not always avoid detection from Walkers; if they are close enough, they can still detect the player and potentially damage them.

Once a player has developed a decent skill level with the plasma launcher, it is an exceptionally effective tool against the walker. A fully upgraded launcher (three S-tier modules or similar on a higher-class tool) can one-shot any individual armor piece, and is likely to break two or more leg armor sections in one hit if aimed well. A max launcher will also destroy the core torso in as few as three hits. The scatter blaster is also highly effective; a moderately upgraded blaster can break an individual armor plate in two shots, and destroy the torso within one magazine. Combined with effective movement, these two weapons can be utilized to take down walkers with a very high level of efficiency (often under 10 seconds with practice).

Loot information[ | ]

Note: The table may not have the min/max values or all possible types of loot, please help expanding it by further research.

¹ This container is shorter compared to the one dropped by Sentinel Quad.

² This container is longer compared to the one dropped by Sentinel Drone.

Additional information[ | ]

Walkers will spawn along with three drones at a four star wanted level. The wanted level increases to five stars once it is destroyed. On occasion there will be a second four-star fight before the escalation to five stars occurs, potentially due to a bug. The five-star wave includes two drones and two quads in addition to the units seen in the four-star fight. On high security planets, the five-star fight is also known to spawn a second walker immediately after the first is destroyed, though it is not known whether this is always the case.

Their beam attack consists of a four-hit burst that momentarily disorients and shakes the player's screen when it lands. Players who do not have good cover available (or who do not have the skill or upgrades for effective dodging) will have difficulty defeating the first phase due to the beam attack. The laser can however be avoided by staying under or behind the walker. The player can also jump into their ship and fight the walker from the sky with no real threat of injury, though walkers tend to de-spawn if the player flies to far out of range.

Release history[ | ]

• Release - An original game component.
• Update 1.07 - Wanted level increases to five-star if destroyed.
• Atlas Rises - Destroyed walkers no longer drop blueprints.
• NEXT - Destroyed walkers no longer drop Titanium.

Gallery[ | ]

• 

  Walker and Flying Drone on Gechoanoati

• 

  Dead Sentinel Walker on Omicron Prime

• 

  Sentinel Walker firing on Jamdonto Eewo

• 

  Sentinel Walker on Hidden Danger

• 

  A sleeping Walker

• 

  Walker Brain
  (Outlaws)

Pre-release[ | ]

• 

  Walker on Sayall
  (pre-release)

• 

  Walker on Sugas_Uomi
  (pre-release)

• 

  Walker on Teogicia
  (pre-release)

• 

  Walker on Ashinx
  (pre-release)