The Dune Sentinel is the miniboss of the Ruined Pyramid, which is a Legendary Monsters structure that generates in Desert biomes. Think of it as a living cannon rather than a monster that walks about, as it can’t move at all and can’t be pushed either. It sits in the middle of the pyramid and will start firing at you from 30 blocks away.
Stats wise, it has 170 health, which equates to 85 hearts, and a 
Crystal Of Sandstorm is dropped when it dies. That crystal is needed to craft the 
Sand Cannon, which is a version of its own cannon for you to carry, or the 
Blastproof Helmet. Most of the fight is about getting close, as none of your 
Arrows will do anything to it.
Location
Dune Sentinels can only be found in the Ruined Pyramid, and there’s one in each pyramid. The pyramids generate on the surface of Desert biomes, spaced around 40 chunks apart, so in a big Desert you might have a couple within walking distance.
With cheats enabled, the command below gives you the coordinates of the nearest pyramid straight away. It’s the quickest way to find one, though on a survival world without cheats you’ll want the Eye instead.
Without cheats, you’ll want to craft an 
Eye Of Sandstorm, which is 4 
Sandstone placed around an 
Ender Pearl. Throw it and follow it like an 
Eye of Ender, and it’ll lead you to the nearest pyramid within 100 chunks. From a distance a Ruined Pyramid looks a lot like a vanilla Desert Pyramid, so the Eye saves you walking to the wrong one.
Inside, the pyramid is Sandstone all the way through, with 
Chests that use the same loot as a Desert Pyramid. You’ll find the Dune Sentinel in the center of it, a few blocks up, so it can see you coming across the sand. Bombers will spawn in and around the pyramid as well, and they’re where the 
Ancient Sandstone Shards come from, which are needed alongside the crystal.
Behavior
Once it has generated, the Dune Sentinel never moves from that spot, as its movement speed is 0, and no amount of knockback will shift it. Instead it turns to face whatever it is targeting and fires. Players are targeted first, but it will shoot at 
Iron Golems and 
Snow Golems as well, so a golem can be used to draw its fire while you close in.
Attacks
Most of the time you’ll be dodging bombs, which are lobbed at you in an arc about once a second while you’re within 30 blocks. A direct hit deals 8 damage, then the bomb explodes with a blast a little weaker than a 
Creeper‘s, which is where most of the damage comes from. Blocks aren’t broken by it, so the pyramid stays intact however long the fight goes on.
| Attack | Range | Damage | What to Know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bomb | Up to 30 blocks | 8 direct, plus the blast | Fired about once a second, aim gets much better on Hard |
| Swipe | Within 3.5 blocks | 16 on Normal | Only if you stand right next to it, and it knocks everything nearby back |
How accurate the bombs are depends on the difficulty. On Easy they scatter a long way, on Normal they land near you, and on Hard they are close to dead on, so difficulty changes this fight more than most. The swipe is set up backwards, it does 30 damage on Easy, 16 on Normal and 11 on Hard, so on Easy of all things, stay out of arm’s reach.
Special Mechanics
Arrows, 
Tridents and anything a mob throws can’t hurt the Dune Sentinel, and explosions can’t either, so 
TNT and its own bombs do nothing. Standing in fire won’t damage it, and neither will falling, not that it can fall. Everything else works as normal, as there’s no damage cap here like the mod’s big bosses have.
Only standing in fire is blocked, not burning, so Fire Aspect and Flame both tick away at it normally, and Lava does as well. Potions of Harming will work on it too, and they’re the one ranged option you have, since a Splash Potion isn’t an Arrow.
As it takes damage it will crack, and once it’s below half health it starts smoking and crackling, then below a quarter it is clearly breaking apart. When it finally dies it doesn’t vanish straight away. It burns and shakes for around 10 seconds before it crumbles, and the drops appear at the end of that, so don’t walk off thinking it dropped nothing.
Drops
Every Dune Sentinel will drop exactly 1 Crystal Of Sandstorm, and it gives almost no experience, so the crystal is what you’re there for. Crystals can’t be found anywhere else, and each pyramid only has the one Sentinel, so it works out at one crystal per pyramid.
Dune Sentinel Drops
Crystal Of Sandstorm The crystal goes into one of two recipes. The Sand Cannon needs it along with 4 
Gunpowder and 4 Ancient Sandstone Shards, and it fires the same bombs. The Blastproof Helmet needs the crystal, 4 shards and a 
Gold Nugget instead. Shards are dropped by Bombers, one each, so kill a few on the way.
As you only get one crystal per pyramid, you’ll have to choose between the cannon and the helmet, or find a second pyramid. The Sand Cannon is usually the better pick, as it’s a ranged weapon with a Creeper-sized blast that doesn’t break blocks, which makes it safe to use around your own base.
Strategy
Leave the 
Bow at home and bring a Sword with Fire Aspect, as the burning ticks keep going while you dodge bombs. Iron armor will get you through it on Normal, though on Hard you’ll want Diamond with Blast Protection, since almost every bomb will land on you. A 
Shield helps with the direct hits but not the blast, so don’t count on it.
Because it can’t move and its bombs can’t break blocks, the easiest approach is to build toward it. Bridge or tunnel your way up behind cover, then step out beside it and hit it with everything you have. It will swipe if you’re within 3.5 blocks, so on Easy in particular, go in from the side and back off after a couple of hits rather than standing there trading.
If you’d rather not go up close at all, a stack of Splash Potions of Harming will do it from range, as they’re the one thing it can’t ignore that doesn’t need you next to it. Clear the Bombers first either way, as a Bomber going off next to you while a bomb lands is the dangerous part.
FAQ
The Dune Sentinel sits in the middle of the Ruined Pyramid, which generates in Desert biomes about 40 chunks apart. Craft an Eye Of Sandstorm from 4 Sandstone and an Ender Pearl and throw it, and it’ll fly toward the nearest pyramid. With cheats on, /locate structure legendary_monsters:ruined_pyramid gives you the coordinates instead.
You’ll get 1 Crystal Of Sandstorm every time, and that’s all, as the experience it gives is next to nothing. The crystal is used to craft either the Sand Cannon, with 4 Gunpowder and 4 Ancient Sandstone Shards, or the Blastproof Helmet, with 4 shards and a Gold Nugget, and the shards are dropped by Bombers.
Get next to it and use a Sword, as Arrows, Tridents and explosions don’t hurt it at all. Since it can’t move, you can build up to it behind blocks, and its bombs won’t break your cover. Fire Aspect and Splash Potions of Harming both work on it as well, which makes them the best way to add damage without standing in the open.
It can’t, and it can’t be moved either. Its movement speed is set to 0 and it is completely immune to knockback, so it stays exactly where the pyramid placed it for as long as it’s alive. It also never despawns, so a pyramid you’ve walked away from will still have its Sentinel waiting when you come back.
