Sentinel

Bipedal walker

No Man's Sky is a procedurally generated world filled with hazards, both organic and directed. Sentinels are one of those hazards.

Summary

You have overstepped your boundaries!

The Sentinels in No Man's Sky are a species of self-replicating, non-organic machines. They were created to balance the efforts and actions of the player with the procedurally generated ecosystem. Sentinels act as the workhorse machines of The Atlas, and police the actions of those within the universe.

They are, in essence, the "gardeners" of the No Man's Sky universe. If the player makes an attempt to alter the environment while they are around, they will not hesitate to defend their "garden".

Motivations

According to an article published in the January 2015 Game Informer, it is suggested that Sentinels, formerly known as The Malevolent Force, isn't all that malevolent to start off:

"This robotic enemy army isn't all that malevolent as far as motivations go. They are simply trying to maintain the balance of the universe. On some planets they patrol, keeping an eye out for anyone who kills creatures, carves out resources, or generally changes the environment. If you're just strolling around scanning things in, they leave you alone. If you draw their attention, they attack like traditional first-person shooter enemies, shooting lasers, strafing, and taking cover."

In a separate interview with The Guardian published in October 2014, Sean Murray said:

"It's dangerous on planets. Each one has an ecology, and you're not always at the top of the food chain; we've shown large creatures that attack you. There's also something else we haven't shown. There is a malevolent force in the universe that does provide a lot of combat and more core gameplay at times. We wanted that; we wanted players to wander around exploring planets but never to feel entirely safe."

Types

See: Bipedal walker

See: Quadrupedal Sentinel

The most common type of Sentinels are flying drones, which will hover above the ground, patrolling the planets. However, larger, more dangerous Sentinels, such as bipedal or quadrupedal combat units, will also appear. All of these are equipped with sensors and turrets meant to protect planets from harm. Interceptors will attack players in space to protect transports.

Behavior and wanted level

Flying drone being destroyed

Sentinels will normally act passively towards the player unless they witness them violating a universal law (such as killing an animal unprovoked, or over-mining a planet's resources). This behavior will accrue wanted levels. The aggression of the Sentinels and their dedication to pursuing the player is entirely linked to the player's wanted level. As this level increases, the number of Sentinels will increase, and more dangerous Sentinels will also start to appear.

Additional Information

If a sentinel is destroyed, the broken pieces may be salvaged for resources, including the element Heridium.

Multimedia

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  Basic flying drone

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  Bipedal walker on Ashinx

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  Quadripedal Combat Unit on Balari V