Sentinel ( ability ) Sentinel is a defensive ability in the " Final Fantasy " series . While similar to Defend , it gains a unique property in " Final Fantasy XI " . Appearances . " Final Fantasy X " . Sentinel is a Special ability found near the end of Auron ' s section of the Sphere Grid . It is an improved version of Guard , with the user taking a defensive stance , thus receiving less damage from the attack . " Final Fantasy X - 2 " . Sentinel is available on the Warrior dressphere , costing 20 AP . The user remains immobile until their ATB bar refills and all physical attacks cause only 1 HP damage , but full damage is still taken from magic . " Final Fantasy XI " . Sentinel . Sentinel is available to Paladins at level 30 . When this ability is activated the user receives a 90 % damage reduction and enmity comparable to Provoke is generated . The damage reduction steadily decays to 40 % , whereupon the effect wears off . Enmity for all actions appears to be doubled while Sentinel is in effect . Usage of this ability will instantly produce an amount of enmity comparable to that of a Provoke . While this ability is in effect , the amount of enmity generated by other abilities , such as spells or Shield Bash , is increased . Testing suggests that the total enmity increase while Sentinel is active is equivalent to + 100 % , the maximum amount of additional enmity possible . It has a recast time of 5 minutes and a duration of 30 seconds . The leg armor , Valor Leggings , when used in conjunction with Sentinel , give an extra 10 % damage reduction , resulting in 100 % damage reduction when the ability is used . This steadily decays to 50 % damage reduction at the end of the duration . When combined with equipment that reduces physical damage , the damage reduction from the equipment is applied separately ( e . g . , while Sentinel is active and the Paladin has an Earth Staff equipped , if he or she is hit by 1000 Needles , it will be reduced by 90 % to 100 Damage , then the remaining damage would be reduced by an additional 20 % bringing the total damage to 80 ) . Guardian . Guardian is a job trait that can be purchased with Merit Points by level 75 + Paladins . This job trait is always active , and reduces enmity decay while Sentinel is active . An enemy ' s enmity towards a player naturally decays over time , when the enemy hits the player , and when the enemy hits the player ; Guardian reduces that natural enmity decay for the 30 seconds that Sentinel is active . It begins by helping the Paladin retain 19 % more enmity during Sentinel , and each additional merit placed in Guardian will increase the effect by an additional 19 % . Up to 5 merits can be placed in this ability for a total of 95 % of enmity decay prevented during Sentinel . This trait is rarely merited because it only takes effect for 30 seconds at a time , and at most , once every 5 minutes . " Final Fantasy XIV " . Learned by reaching level 38 in the Gladiator class , Sentinel is an ability that reduces damage taken by 30 % when used , with a duration of ten seconds , making it best suited to deal with a heavy attack . It has a recast time of 180 seconds . Only Gladiators and Paladins may make use of this ability .