Turrets

Sentry Turret packaging

“

Hello friend.

— Sentry Turret

”

Turrets serve as one of the main obstacles in the Portal series. Armed with unlimited ammunition and deadly accuracy, they will attempt to kill any player in sight.

General

Sentry Turret

Sentry Turrets appear as miniature tripod robots that appear in the Portal series. They are incapable of independent movement, but they can slide their chassis parts (or 'arms') horizontally to reveal two gatling guns. The center holds their red 'eye', which emits a targeting laser.

When the player is unseen, the turret will appear motionless and its guns hidden. Moving into its angle of sight, however, will cause them to deploy the guns with a voice line before they commence fire. They will continue to fire until the player is dead or moves out of sight. If the latter occurs, the turret will have a brief moment where it will search for the player, after which it will resume its inactive stance.

Turrets can be defeated through a number of means. The most common method is knocking them over, causing them to flail and fire wildly before deactivating. This can be done by picking them up and dropping them, or using any object to push them. Additionally, the Thermal Discouragement Beam or Emancipation Grid can be used to completely destroy them.

Rocket Turret

The Rocket Turret is a unique enemy in Portal. It appears as a personality core outfitted with a rocket launcher. Upon activation, it will slowly lock onto Chell and emit a sound before launching a rocket. It plays a vital role in the battle with GLaDOS.

Defective Turret

Defective Turrets, also called Crap Turrets by Wheatley, are incomplete, ammo-less versions of Sentry Turrets. Unlike normal Sentries, Defective Turrets speak in a masculine, less robotic voice.

They are harmless to Chell, many times making comments such as "If anyone asks, I killed you". By what their voice lines imply, they are also blind. They are first encountered in Chapter 5: The Escape.

Frankenturret

Frankenturrets are bizarre Sentry Turret-Weighted Storage Cube hybrids created by Wheatley to complete test chambers when he had no test subjects. They are first introduced in Chapter 8: The Itch.

The Frankenturrets don't speak, instead emitting incomprehensive chirping sounds. They act as the chapter's replacement for Storage Cubes, their only difference being that Frankenturrets will hop around aimlessly while not on a button. When picked up by Chell, they contract their legs to inside their cubes. If they fall over on their sides or upside down, they will wave their legs trying to get up.

Appearances

Portal

Main article: Portal

Turrets are introduced to the player in Test Chamber 14. Following this, they continue to appear throughout the remaining levels.

Portal: Still Alive

Main article: Portal: Still Alive

Portal 2

Main article: Portal 2

Turrets return in the sequel as both an enemy to Chell and the co-op robots. They appear fairly early in the game. Distinct versions of the turret are introduced, including the Defective Turret and Animal King Turret.