View source for Basic Medic strategy

The [[Medic]] is arguably the most important class on a team. Although he only has average health and mediocre firepower, his ability to heal and [[Healing#Overheal|overheal]] teammates using his [[Medi Gun]] makes him invaluable. Additionally, the Medic continually builds an [[ÜberCharge]] meter as he heals others. Once full, he can provide invulnerability with the [[Medi Gun]], [[Crit#Crit boost|Crit]]boost a teammate with the [[Kritzkrieg]], or perform rapid healing with the [[Quick-Fix]]. Proper deployment of an [[ÜberCharge]] can easily make the difference between victory and defeat. In any firefight, it is incredibly important that the Medic survives. Teammates may die, [[Glossary of player terms#P 2|pockets]] may die, ÜberCharges may be spent, but as long as the Medic is alive and building a new ÜberCharge, his team has the advantage. The Medic relies on having good teammates; as long as he is protected, he is free to heal and keep his team alive.  

==Primary Weapons==

Your ability to heal others will often make you the number one target of many enemy players. Be hard to hit: jump, duck, and [[strafe]] to avoid damage. Rely on your teammates to protect you. Your natural health regeneration will often not be enough to keep you alive, so also ask allies to leave [[health]] pickups for you. If they die and you are forced to fight, you should also be retreating.
 
===[[Syringe Gun]]===
{{Icon weapon|weapon=Syringe Gun|icon-size=100x100px}}

Although the Syringe Gun fires rapidly and deals fair damage, you should still be relying on your teammates to protect you. The needles from the Syringe Gun travel slowly in a gentle parabolic arc. Over distances, aim upwards slightly and lead your targets accordingly.

=== [[Blutsauger]] ===
{{Icon weapon|weapon=Blutsauger|icon-size=100x100px}}

The Blutsauger is best when you often find yourself near the frontlines. If you consistently land your shots, you will heal yourself more than your standard regeneration can. If you're injured and can afford to stop healing your patient momentarily, attack with the Blutsauger to restore some health. However, don't actively seek out fights; you are still your team's main source of healing.

===[[Crusader's Crossbow]]===
{{Icon weapon|weapon=Crusader's Crossbow|icon-size=100x100px}}

The Crusader's Crossbow, while tricky to aim, allows you to heal teammates from very far away. At close range, it can be used for a quick burst of healing to a critically wounded ally. For the most part, stick to your [[Medi Gun]], as the Crossbow won't help build your ÜberCharge meter. The Crusader's Crossbow is not meant for combat; in addition to its slow reload time, the bolts arc over distances and travel relatively slowly, making them difficult to aim. Think of its ability to damage enemies as a bonus and let your teammates do the fighting.

===[[Overdose]]===
{{Icon weapon|weapon=Overdose|icon-size=100x100px}}

You will gain up to a 10 percent movement increase as you build your ÜberCharge. Although this is not enough to keep up with the [[Scout]], the increased mobility should make dodging attacks and maneuvering around the battlefield a bit easier. Although you sacrifice some offensive power, you should not be in combat often enough for it to matter. While the Overdose may seem best when paired with the [[Kritzkrieg]] or [[Quick-Fix]], the ÜberCharges offered by those particular secondary weapons work best when deployed as soon as possible, leaving what healing gun you pick up to the overall team needs. There is a 1-4 damage difference between the [[Overdose]] when compared to the [[Syringe Gun]], and the [[Blutsauger]]. An example is point blank damage. Syringe Gun and the Blutsauger's point blank damage is 10-15, and the Overdose's point blank damage is 9-11. It's personal preference whether or not you want to sacrifice speed for damage or vise versa.

==Secondary Weapons==

Your healing beam will stay locked onto a patient no matter what direction you face, so turn around frequently to watch for [[Spy|Spies]] and other ambushers. Stay behind your [[Medic buddy]] so that he can take all of the damage.The beam can bend around corners, allowing you to heal teammates from behind cover. Don't make the common mistake of only healing one player. Your ÜberCharge meter will fill up more quickly if you are healing wounded allies, so spread your healing evenly during moments of downtime. Generally speaking, you first want to heal other Medics, then combat classes, then support classes. Whenever it comes time to unleash a charge, inform your team.  You'll want as much support as possible following behind you and your patient. 

===[[Medi Gun]]===
{{Icon weapon|weapon=Medi Gun|icon-size=100x100px}}

Most of the time, you will equip the Medi Gun for the standard [[ÜberCharge]]. While your [[Medic buddy]] will differ from time to time, an ÜberCharge will help your team make a push into almost any defensive encampment, particularly those with [[Sentry Gun]]s. Invincibility is useful on defense, too; you can counter an enemy Medic's [[ÜberCharge]] by deploying your own, preferably just after his finishes. If you are in danger of being killed, activate your ÜberCharge in self-defense; it's better to survive than to die with a full meter. You can keep multiple targets ÜberCharged at once by quickly switching between them. Although your charge drains faster, you will generally make the team push stronger. 


===[[Kritzkrieg]]===
{{Icon weapon|weapon=Kritzkrieg|icon-size=100x100px}}

The best candidates for the Kritzkrieg's ÜberCharge are the Soldier, the Demoman, and the Heavy. These classes can deal damage over a wide area and use the critical hits to eliminate entire groups of enemies. Deploying the Kritzkrieg does not protect you, so you're relying completely on the skill level of your patient and will lose should an enemy Medic deploy a standard ÜberCharge. Because your meter charges faster, it is best to deploy the Kritzkrieg as soon as possible, before the enemy Medics are fully charged. Sentry Guns are not affected by critical hits, so do not use the Kritzkrieg when trying to destroy [[Engineer]] nests.

===[[Quick-Fix]]===
{{Icon weapon|weapon=Quick-Fix|icon-size=100x100px}}

The Quick-Fix heals more rapidly than both the Medi Gun and Kritzkrieg, allowing you to gain an immediate advantage in an area with multiple injured teammates and maintain momentum during a team push. In addition to this, healing a Scout will allow you to move around the battlefield very rapidly. However, the inability to [[overheal]] means that you cannot boost your teammates' health for future confrontations and will be at a disadvantage at the beginning of a clash. Should your team allow an enemy Medic to accumulate a full ÜberCharge, the invincibility offered by the [[Medi Gun]] or the critboost offered by the [[Kritzkrieg]] will overpower your tripled healing rate.

==Melee Weapons==

===[[Bonesaw]] / [[Saxxy]]===
{{Icon weapon|weapon=Bonesaw|icon-size=100x100px}}  {{Icon weapon|weapon=Saxxy|icon-size=100x100px}}

The Bonesaw is useful for getting the first strike on a distracted opponent but still loses to the Syringe Gun in damage over time. There is no reason to use the Bonesaw; because Medics rarely engage in combat, all of your other melee weapons are generally seen as straight upgrades.

===[[Übersaw]]===
{{Icon weapon|weapon=Übersaw|icon-size=100x100px}}
 
If you are cornered by the enemy, use the Übersaw to rapidly fill your ÜberCharge meter. Don't be zealous, even if your foe is quite weakened; once your meter is filled, escape back to your teammates, deploying the ÜberCharge if you need to.

===[[Vita-Saw]]===
{{Icon weapon|weapon=Vita-Saw|icon-size=100x100px}}

The Vita-Saw grants minor [[ÜberCharge]] insurance. As a Medic, you are generally healing teammates while at the frontlines and will be targeted by any competent enemy. Death is almost inevitable, so equip the Vita-Saw if the 20% saved charge can significantly impact the flow of battle. If you equip anything except the [[Blutsauger]], your natural health regeneration can make up for the small health penalty. It is obviously useless in situations where you cannot respawn, such as [[Arena]] or [[Sudden Death]].

===[[Amputator]]===
{{Icon weapon|weapon=Amputator|icon-size=100x100px}}

The Amputator has no downsides and is a straight upgrade from the Bonesaw. Using its taunt to heal will not build your ÜberCharge meter, so you should still be using your [[Medi Gun]] of choice for most of your healing. Only use its taunt-heal when there are numerous injured teammates clustered nearby, staying behind cover even if there are no enemies in sight. Taunting in the midst of combat may get you killed, no matter how much healing you provide.

===[[Solemn Vow]]===
{{Icon weapon|weapon=Solemn Vow|icon-size=100x100px}}

The Solemn Vow has no downsides and is a straight upgrade to the Bonesaw. The ability to see enemy health can be useful for informing teammates of weakened foes who can easily be picked off. Defensively, this ability can be useful when deciding to fight or run from a pursuing enemy.

==Item sets==
===[[Item sets#Medic|The Medieval Medic]]===
{{item icon|Crusader's Crossbow|100px}}
{{item icon|Amputator|100px}}
{{item icon|Berliner's Bucket Helm|100px}}

The increased health regeneration can significantly increase your survivability. You will need to rely further on your teammates for protection, as only using the [[Crusader's Crossbow]] to fight off enemies will be very difficult. As the name implies, this is your item set of choice in [[Medieval mode|Medieval Mode]].

===[[Item sets#Medic|The Clinical Trial]]===
{{item icon|Overdose|100px}}
{{item icon|Quick-Fix|100px}}
{{item icon|Solemn Vow|100px}}

The movement speed bonuses offered by the Overdose and Quick-Fix synergize with each other, giving you extra mobility to rapidly heal multiple teammates.

== See also ==
*[[ÜberCharge]]
*[[Medic buddy]]

{{Class strategy}}
{{Medic Nav}}
[[Category:Strategy]]
[[Category:Medic]]