Difference between revisions of "Basic Medic strategy"

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{{hatnote|This page contains basic strategy for the Medic. For more advanced strategies, see [[Community Medic strategy]]. For how to play against the Medic, see [[Anti-Medic strategy]].}}
 
{{Quotation|'''The Medic''' |Ze healing leaves little time for ze hurting.|sound=Medic_specialcompleted03.wav}}
 
{{Quotation|'''The Medic''' |Ze healing leaves little time for ze hurting.|sound=Medic_specialcompleted03.wav}}
 
[[File:Medictaunt3.PNG|350px|right]]
 
[[File:Medictaunt3.PNG|350px|right]]
The [[Medic]] is arguably the most important class on a team. He is the only class with a reliable way to heal and [[Healing#Overheal|overheal]] teammates using his [[Medi Gun]], making him invaluable. As the Medic heals others, he builds an [[ÜberCharge]] meter. 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]] to turn the tide of battle. Because dying means losing any accumulated [[ÜberCharge]], it is incredibly important that the Medic survives any fight. The Medic's weapons are designed more for self-protection than direct combat; he relies on having good teammates to protect him so that he is free to keep his team alive. More than with any other class, communication is key, both for indicating who to heal and when to activate an ÜberCharge.
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The [[Medic]] is arguably the most important class. He is the only class with a reliable way to heal and [[Healing#Overheal|overheal]], putting any team without one at a severe disadvantage. As the Medic heals others, he builds an [[ÜberCharge]] meter. Once this meter is full, he can buff a teammate with effects such as the [[Medi Gun]]'s invulnerability or the [[Kritzkrieg]]'s [[Crit#Crit boost|Crit]]-boost, giving his team a chance to forge ahead. However, if the Medic dies, he loses his accumulated [[ÜberCharge]]. Knowing this, the flow of battle can be dictated by if a team's Medic is alive and/or charged. The Medic is a priority, both for his team to protect and the enemy to kill.
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The Medic's weapons are designed more for self-protection and supplemental healing. He relies on having competent teammates who will protect him so that he is free to heal, not fight. More than with any other class, communication is key, both for indicating who to heal and when to activate an ÜberCharge.
  
 
== Primary weapons ==
 
== Primary weapons ==
Your ability to heal others will often make you the primary target of many enemy players. When in combat, be hard to hit: jump, duck, and [[strafe]] to avoid damage. Your natural health regeneration will often not be enough to keep you alive, so rely on your allies for protection and ask them to leave [[health]] pickups for you. Unless you are forced to fight, you should retreat if all nearby teammates are defeated.
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Your ability to heal teammates will often make you the primary target of many enemy players. When in combat, be hard to hit: jump, duck, and [[strafe]] to avoid damage. Your natural health regeneration will often not be enough to keep you alive, so rely on your allies for protection and ask them to leave [[health]] pickups for you. Unless you are forced to fight, you should retreat if all nearby teammates are defeated.
 
   
 
   
 
===[[Syringe Gun]]===
 
===[[Syringe Gun]]===
 
{{icon item|Syringe Gun|100px}}
 
{{icon item|Syringe Gun|100px}}
  
The Syringe Gun fires rapidly and deals fair damage at close range only. It can't damage multiple enemies at once and should be treated as a backup weapon for self-defense; call for your teammates to protect you as you heal them instead. If you're forced into combat, the Syringe Gun's needles travel slowly in a parabolic arc; at longer ranges, you'll need to aim upwards slightly and lead fast targets accordingly to compensate for the slow projectile speed.
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The Syringe Gun rapidly fires needles in a slow parabolic arc, which deal moderate damage at close range only. It is not a great weapon - your teammates should protect you so that you don't have to use it. The Syringe Gun should be used as a last resort when enemies directly attack you; aim slightly upward and lead targets accordingly to compensate for the slow projectile speed.  
  
=== [[Blutsauger]] + [[Reskin#List of reskins#Medic | reskins]]===
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=== [[Blutsauger]] + [[reskins]]===
 
{{icon item|Blutsauger|100px}} {{icon item|Australium Blutsauger|100px|link=Australium weapons}}
 
{{icon item|Blutsauger|100px}} {{icon item|Australium Blutsauger|100px|link=Australium weapons}}
  
The Blutsauger heals you for 3 health for each shot that connects, but lowers your natural health regeneration. Take out the Blutsauger if you're injured and can afford to briefly stop healing others; landing shots consistently will heal you more than your natural regeneration can. It's best to equip this weapon only if you expect to fight often, as the decreased regeneration leaves you vulnerable to damage-over-time effects such as [[fire]] or [[bleeding]]. Although the Blutsauger is your most powerful weapon in a direct fight, continue to stay behind your allies; you are still your team's main source of healing. If you don't fight often, equip a different weapon to retain your regeneration and some extra utility.
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The Blutsauger heals you for 3 health for each shot that hits an enemy, but lowers your natural health regeneration even when it's not your active weapon. The lifesteal effect is useful in a direct fight, usually when you are caught out alone and need to find teammates or a health kit. If your team reliably protects you from enemies, equip a different weapon to retain your natural regeneration.
  
===[[Crusader's Crossbow]] + [[Reskin#List of reskins#Medic | reskins]]===
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===[[Crusader's Crossbow]] + [[reskins]]===
 
{{icon item|Crusader's Crossbow|100px}} {{icon item|Festive Crusader's Crossbow|100px|link=Festive weapons}}
 
{{icon item|Crusader's Crossbow|100px}} {{icon item|Festive Crusader's Crossbow|100px|link=Festive weapons}}
  
Depending on who you hit, bolts from the Crusader's Crossbow can damage enemies or heal allies, with the strength of the shot increasing if it travels farther. The Crossbow reloads passively, so you can switch between healing normally and supporting teammates outside the range of your [[Medi Gun]]. Although the Crossbow reloads quickly, the bolts arc over distances and travel relatively slowly. This makes it difficult to aim and less effective than the Syringe Gun in direct combat; you may even need to tell your allies to stand still so you can line up long-range healing shots. The Crossbow builds ÜberCharge more slowly than the Medi Gun, so use the Medi Gun to heal nearby allies instead if possible.
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The Crusader's Crossbow is your only primary weapon that can heal, at a distance further than the Medi Gun, no less! Depending on who you hit, crossbow bolts either damage enemies or heal allies, with shot power increasing the farther it travels. The Crossbow's most common application is to heal teammates that are far away from you, such as roaming Scouts, Soldiers, and Spies; you can tell your allies to stand still if you have trouble landing long-range healing shots. For nearby injured teammates, shoot them with the Crossbow for burst healing before swapping to your Medi Gun. Overall, you gain an extra healing ability in exchange for self-defense; the Crossbow's slow fire rate makes it unreliable in a fight.
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===[[Overdose]]===
 
===[[Overdose]]===
 
{{icon item|Overdose|100px}}
 
{{icon item|Overdose|100px}}
  
Depending on how full your ÜberCharge meter is, the Overdose grants up to 20% additional movement speed. This weapon makes it easier to dodge projectiles or run to teammates if you're under attack. In particular, the extra speed increases the odds that you won't have to use your ÜberCharge in self-defense. The movement speed bonus only applies when the Overdose is your active weapon, so healing teammates will return you to normal speed. The Overdose deals slightly less damage in combat, encouraging you to flee to teammates to preserve ÜberCharge instead of fighting your pursuers. The maximum speed bonus is still not enough to outrun an aggressive Scout, so you may still need to turn and fight regardless.
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Depending on how full your ÜberCharge meter is, the Overdose grants up to 20% additional movement speed. This weapon makes it easier to dodge projectiles or flee from enemies if you're under attack. In particular, the extra speed increases the odds that you won't have to waste your ÜberCharge in self-defense. The movement speed bonus only applies when the Overdose is your active weapon, so healing teammates will return you to normal speed. The Overdose deals slightly less damage in combat, encouraging you to seek help from teammates to preserve ÜberCharge instead of fighting enemies. The maximum speed bonus is still not enough to outrun an aggressive Scout, so you may still need to turn and fight regardless.
  
 
== Secondary weapons ==
 
== Secondary weapons ==
To make use of your healing abilities, you'll need to team up with an ally. Generally speaking, you first want to heal other Medics, then combat classes, then support classes. You cannot heal yourself, so stay behind your [[Medic buddy]] so that he can take all of the damage. Your healing beam bends around corners and stays locked onto patients, so stay behind cover and turn around frequently to watch for ambushes. As you heal allies, the ÜberCharge meter will gradually fill up. It fills more quickly if you are healing wounded allies, so spread your healing evenly during moments of downtime. Once your ÜberCharge is ready, communicate with your team to make the best use out of your chosen effect.
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You cannot heal yourself, so you will want to work with your team. To heal an ally, target them with your Medi Gun out and fire away. You can only heal one teammate at a time, so you will sometimes need to decide who takes priority:
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* Before a fight, spread your healing among your team to [[overheal]] them and decide which allies might best protect you. If there is not enough time to heal everyone, prioritize classes likely to take damage first: the Scout, Soldier, Demoman, Heavy, and Sniper.
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* Once the fight begins, prioritize healing other Medics, then teammates who are taking heavy damage, then teammates with low health. If no one is in danger of dying, heal and overheal nearby teammates that roam away from you often, who you won't get to often heal.
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* At all times, '''you''' take priority. Your healing beam bends around corners and stays locked onto patients, so you are able to stay behind cover, dodge enemy attacks, and turn around to watch for flanking foes.
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* Prioritize targets that are under fire over ones that are at the back, even if the ones behind the frontline have less health. Teammates that are under fire need it most to keep the enemy team back.
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As you heal allies, the ÜberCharge meter will gradually fill up. It fills more quickly if you are healing wounded allies, rewarding you for staying near combat. Your different secondary weapons have different ÜberCharges; communicate with your team to best use your chosen effect.
  
===[[Medi Gun]] + [[Reskin#List of reskins#Medic | reskins]]===
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===[[Medi Gun]] + [[reskins]]===
 
{{icon item|Medi Gun|100px}} {{icon item|Festive Medi Gun|100px|link=Festive weapons}} {{icon item|Silver Botkiller Medi Gun|100px|link=Botkiller weapons}} {{icon item|Australium Medi Gun|100px|link=Australium weapons}}
 
{{icon item|Medi Gun|100px}} {{icon item|Festive Medi Gun|100px|link=Festive weapons}} {{icon item|Silver Botkiller Medi Gun|100px|link=Botkiller weapons}} {{icon item|Australium Medi Gun|100px|link=Australium weapons}}
  
Most of the time, you will equip the Medi Gun for the standard [[ÜberCharge]]. Compared to your other choices, the Medi Gun charges the slowest but arguably has the most powerful effect. The 8 seconds of invincibility it provides is useful in almost any situation, but other ÜberCharges will often be ready before yours. An offensive ÜberCharge lets your team push into almost any defensive encampment, particularly those with [[Sentry Gun]]s. Invincibility is especially useful on defense, especially if your team is outnumbered or needs to hold a contested area. Additionally, 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 your healing beam between them, at the cost of it draining significantly faster.
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Compared to your other choices, the standard Medi Gun charges the slowest but arguably has the most powerful [[ÜberCharge]]. It provides 8 seconds of invincibility to you and an ally, which is useful in almost any situation. Offensively, you can push into a defensive encampment, particularly those with chokepoints or [[Sentry Gun]]s. Defensively, you can hold a contested area when outnumbered or counter an enemy Medic's ÜberCharge. 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 your healing beam between them, at the cost of it draining significantly faster.
  
 
===[[Kritzkrieg]]===
 
===[[Kritzkrieg]]===
 
{{icon item|Kritzkrieg|100px}}
 
{{icon item|Kritzkrieg|100px}}
  
The Kritzkrieg functions similarly to the Medi Gun, but charges 25% faster and provides 8 seconds of guaranteed [[Crits|Critical hits]] to its target instead of invulnerability. It provides a faster, riskier and more offensive ÜberCharge, as the Kritzkrieg's ÜberCharge does not protect you. It's best for situations where you need to quickly eliminate as many targets as possible so your team can push forward. Great candidates for the Kritzkrieg are the Soldier, Demoman, and Heavy, classes that deal damage over a wide area and can use the crit boost to the fullest. Because your meter charges faster, it is best to deploy the Kritzkrieg as soon as possible, before Medi Gun-wielding Medics are fully charged. Sentry Guns are not affected by critical hits, so using the Kritzkrieg's ÜberCharge to destroy [[Engineer]] nests is ineffective.
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The Kritzkrieg functions similarly to the Medi Gun, but charges 25% faster and provides 8 seconds of guaranteed [[Crits|Critical hits]] to its target upon ÜberCharge instead of invulnerability. It promotes a riskier, offensive playstyle; if the enemy Medic uses the standard Medi Gun, you will be fully charged first and can quickly overwhelm his team. The Kritzkrieg's ÜberCharge does not protect you or your teammate, so it is best on the Soldier, Demoman, and Heavy, classes that deal ranged area damage. Unlike the Medi Gun, the Kritzkrieg is ineffective against the [[Engineer]]'s Sentry Gun, as buildings are not affected by critical hits.
  
 
===[[Quick-Fix]]===
 
===[[Quick-Fix]]===
 
{{icon item|Quick-Fix|100px}}
 
{{icon item|Quick-Fix|100px}}
  
Of your available secondary weapons, the Quick-Fix heals teammates the fastest, making it most useful in the middle of combat when you must keep multiple injured teammates alive. However, it can only [[overheal]] allies to 50% of your other options, meaning that your team will be at a disadvantage at the beginning of fights, when your enemies are presumably fully overhealed. The Quick-Fix's ÜberCharge triples the rate of healing, grants immunity to knockback, and charges 10% faster than the Medi Gun, encouraging liberal deployment to keep your team healthy. In combat, the Quick-Fix should be used to maintain momentum; if an enemy Medic accumulates a full ÜberCharge, the invincibility offered by the [[Medi Gun]] or the crit boost offered by the [[Kritzkrieg]] can overpower your boosted healing. The Quick-Fix also grants extra mobility when healing certain classes; you'll copy the explosive jump from a friendly Soldier or Demoman.
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The Quick-Fix heals teammates the fastest of your secondary weapons, making it useful for healing multiple injured teammates during combat. You also copy the explosive jumps of a friendly Soldier or Demoman when healing them, allowing you to easily keep up with them. However, the Quick-Fix can only [[overheal]] allies to 125% of their max health rather than 150%. Your team will be at disadvantage at the beginning of fights, when your enemies are presumably fully overhealed.  
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The Quick-Fix's ÜberCharge triples the rate of healing, grants immunity to knockback, and charges 10% faster than the Medi Gun. It is best used to maintain momentum rather than protect an area; you can still be overpowered by the invincibility from an enemy Medic's Medi Gun ÜberCharge and sources of massive damage, such as crit boosts.
  
 
===[[Vaccinator]]===
 
===[[Vaccinator]]===
 
{{icon item|Vaccinator|100px}}
 
{{icon item|Vaccinator|100px}}
  
When healing an ally with the Vaccinator, you can cycle between granting the two of you a 10% resistance to either [[Hitscan|bullets]], [[Projectile|explosions]], or [[fire]]. Its [[ÜberCharge]], which builds 67% faster and is stored in 4 smaller bars, increases the chosen resistance to 75% for 2.5 seconds. The Vaccinator's defensive capabilities, combined with the reduced overheal rate, are best used to maintain an immediate advantage at the front lines. In fights, adjust the Vaccinator to face whatever weapons your enemies carry. For example, a [[Pyro]] can always deal fire damage, but may have a [[Shotgun]], which deals bullet damage. The Vaccinator deploys its ÜberCharge as shields, which persist even if you change healing targets. Thus, you can rapidly place shields on multiple teammates or stack them on the same target to protect against multiple damage types. Note that the Vaccinator's ÜberCharge rate is significantly reduced when healing targets at full health; to build charge faster, heal injured teammates first.
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The Vaccinator is trickier to use than your other options. When healing an ally with the Vaccinator, you can cycle between granting the two of you a 10% resistance to either [[Hitscan|bullets]], [[Projectile|explosions]], or [[fire]]. Its [[ÜberCharge]], which builds 67% faster and is stored in 4 smaller bars, increases the chosen resistance to 75% for 2.5 seconds. The Vaccinator's defensive capabilities, combined with the reduced overheal rate, are best used to maintain an immediate advantage at the front lines. In fights, adjust the Vaccinator to face whatever weapons your enemies carry. For example, a [[Pyro]] can always deal fire damage, but may have a [[Shotgun]], which deals bullet damage. The Vaccinator deploys each ÜberCharge as a shield; you can rapidly place shields on multiple teammates or stack them on the same target to protect against multiple damage types. Note that the Vaccinator's ÜberCharge rate is significantly reduced when healing targets at full health; stay near the action to heal injured teammates.
  
 
== Melee weapons ==
 
== Melee weapons ==
==={{anchor|Bonesaw}}[[Bonesaw]] + [[Reskin#List of reskins#Medic | reskins]]===
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==={{anchor|Bonesaw}}[[Bonesaw]] + [[reskins]]===
 
{{icon item|Bonesaw|100px}} {{icon item|Frying Pan|100px}} {{icon item|Saxxy|100px}} {{icon item|Conscientious Objector|100px}} {{icon item|Freedom Staff|100px}}  {{icon item|Bat Outta Hell|100px}} {{icon item|Memory Maker|100px}} {{icon item|Ham Shank|100px}} {{icon item|Golden Frying Pan|100px}} {{icon item|Necro Smasher|100px}} {{icon item|Crossing Guard|100px}} {{icon item|Festive Bonesaw|100px|link=Festive weapons}} {{icon item|Prinny Machete|100px}}  
 
{{icon item|Bonesaw|100px}} {{icon item|Frying Pan|100px}} {{icon item|Saxxy|100px}} {{icon item|Conscientious Objector|100px}} {{icon item|Freedom Staff|100px}}  {{icon item|Bat Outta Hell|100px}} {{icon item|Memory Maker|100px}} {{icon item|Ham Shank|100px}} {{icon item|Golden Frying Pan|100px}} {{icon item|Necro Smasher|100px}} {{icon item|Crossing Guard|100px}} {{icon item|Festive Bonesaw|100px|link=Festive weapons}} {{icon item|Prinny Machete|100px}}  
  
The Bonesaw is useful for striking distracted opponents but still loses to the [[Syringe Gun]] in damage over time. There is no reason to use the Bonesaw; all of your other melee weapons possess some sort of utility and are generally seen as straight upgrades because Medics rarely engage in combat.
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If you are cornered and aiming your Syringe Gun is difficult, you can take out the Bonesaw as a last resort. Although you have above-average movement speed to catch up to enemies, keep in mind that they still have guns. All of your other melee weapons possess some sort of utility. Because of how rarely you enter melee combat in standard gameplay, melee weapons that provide some utility buff are preferred.
  
===[[Ubersaw]] + [[Reskin#List of reskins#Medic | reskins]]===
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===[[Ubersaw]] + [[reskins]]===
 
{{icon item|Übersaw|100px}} {{icon item|Festive Ubersaw|100px|link=Festive weapons}}
 
{{icon item|Übersaw|100px}} {{icon item|Festive Ubersaw|100px|link=Festive weapons}}
 
   
 
   
The Ubersaw swings slightly slower than the Bonesaw, a minor drawback compared to the 25% boost your [[ÜberCharge]] meter receives for each successful hit on an enemy. Landing a few strikes on an enemy that fails to defeat you can grant a ready ÜberCharge and an instant advantage. For defensive purposes, it can be used to quickly fill the Medi Gun's meter, then escape with the resulting invincibility. Actively entering combat to build charge with the Ubersaw can be risky, as it leaves your team without a healer, not to mention that every class has access to a weapon that outranges your melee strikes.
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The Ubersaw swings slightly slower than the Bonesaw, but grants a massive 25% boost to your [[ÜberCharge]] meter for each attack that lands. If an enemy misjudges his ability to fight you, take him out with the Ubersaw for an instant advantage. If you end up cornered, as a last resort, you can try taking out the Ubersaw to quickly fill the default Medi Gun's meter, then escape with the resulting invincibility.  
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Avoid actively seeking combat with the Ubersaw to build charge. Melee combat is risky against any class, and you can build the equivalent 25% after about 10 seconds of healing injured teammates as they fight.
  
 
===[[Vita-Saw]]===
 
===[[Vita-Saw]]===
 
{{icon item|Vita-Saw|100px}}
 
{{icon item|Vita-Saw|100px}}
  
The Vita-Saw grants minor [[ÜberCharge]] insurance. Hitting an enemy with it harvests an Organ; each Organ lets you retain 15% of your ÜberCharge upon dying, up to a cap of 60%. As a Medic, you will inevitably become a priority target for the enemy team. If your ÜberCharge is not fully charged and you are cornered, fight back with the Vita-Saw to ensure at least some of your hard work remains after death. Of course, the small -10 health penalty might mean you die more often against burst damage; offset this by equipping anything except the [[Blutsauger]] to maintain good health regeneration. The Vita-Saw is useless in situations where you cannot respawn, such as [[Arena]] or [[Sudden Death]].
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The Vita-Saw grants minor [[ÜberCharge]] insurance. Hitting an enemy with it harvests an Organ; each Organ lets you retain 15% of your ÜberCharge upon dying, up to a cap of 60%. As a Medic, you will inevitably become a priority target for the enemy team. If your ÜberCharge is not fully charged and you are cornered, fight back with the Vita-Saw to ensure at least some of your hard work remains after death. Of course, the small -10 health penalty might mean you die more often against burst damage. The Vita-Saw is useless in situations where you cannot respawn, such as [[Arena]] or [[Sudden Death]].
  
 
===[[Amputator]]===
 
===[[Amputator]]===
 
{{icon item|Amputator|100px}}
 
{{icon item|Amputator|100px}}
  
The Amputator deals 20% less damage than the Bonesaw and is relatively useless in combat. However, it's still considered an upgrade to the stock Bonesaw because as the Medic, you'll rarely engage in melee combat. While you're holding the Amputator, you will regenerate 3 extra health per second, making it useful for negating damage-over-time effects such as [[afterburn]] and [[bleeding]]. Taunting will play a [[Medicating Melody|melody]] that heals all nearby allies that are not obstructed by cover. This melody doesn't build much ÜberCharge and leaves you helpless for four seconds, so play it only when you absolutely need to heal multiple teammates at once.
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While you hold the Amputator, you regenerate 3 extra health per second, useful when escaping a fight or suffering from effects such as [[afterburn]] and [[bleeding]]. Taunting will play a [[Medicating Melody|melody]] that heals all nearby allies that are not obstructed by cover. This melody doesn't build much ÜberCharge and leaves you defenseless for four seconds, so play it only when you absolutely need to heal multiple teammates at once. The Amputator deals 20% less damage than the Bonesaw but is still considered an upgrade because as the Medic, you'll rarely engage in melee combat.
  
 
===[[Solemn Vow]]===
 
===[[Solemn Vow]]===
 
{{icon item|Solemn Vow|100px}}
 
{{icon item|Solemn Vow|100px}}
  
The Solemn Vow has a 10% attack speed penalty compared to the [[Bonesaw]] but grants the ability to see enemy health. This ability can be used offensively to inform teammates of weakened foes, and defensively, when deciding to fight or run from a pursuing enemy. As with some of your other melee weapons, the swing-speed penalty is practically negligible.
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The Solemn Vow allows you to see enemy health, names, and ÜberCharge percentage, like with the Spy. While you heal teammates, also spend time looking at the enemy - you can tell your team about weakened foes and the ÜberCharge state of enemy Medics. If you are alone, this ability helps you decide whether to fight or run from a pursuing enemy. The Solemn Vow suffers a 10% attack speed penalty, which is practically negligible for its benefits.
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The Solemn Vow's benefits are always active, unlike how the Ubersaw or Vitasaw require you to land melee attacks, or how the Amputator's taunt leaves you vulnerable. It becomes a more useful choice against skilled opponents who will not let you freely utilize the other melee weapons.
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
*[[ÜberCharge]]
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* [[ÜberCharge]]
*[[Medic buddy]]
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* [[Medic buddy]]
  
{{Class strategy}}
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{{Class Strategy Nav}}
 
{{Medic Nav}}
 
{{Medic Nav}}
  
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[[Category:Medic]]
 
[[Category:Strategy]]
 
[[Category:Strategy]]
[[Category:Medic]]
 

Latest revision as of 20:47, 20 September 2023

This page contains basic strategy for the Medic. For more advanced strategies, see Community Medic strategy. For how to play against the Medic, see Anti-Medic strategy.
Ze healing leaves little time for ze hurting.
The Medic
Medictaunt3.PNG

The Medic is arguably the most important class. He is the only class with a reliable way to heal and overheal, putting any team without one at a severe disadvantage. As the Medic heals others, he builds an ÜberCharge meter. Once this meter is full, he can buff a teammate with effects such as the Medi Gun's invulnerability or the Kritzkrieg's Crit-boost, giving his team a chance to forge ahead. However, if the Medic dies, he loses his accumulated ÜberCharge. Knowing this, the flow of battle can be dictated by if a team's Medic is alive and/or charged. The Medic is a priority, both for his team to protect and the enemy to kill.

The Medic's weapons are designed more for self-protection and supplemental healing. He relies on having competent teammates who will protect him so that he is free to heal, not fight. More than with any other class, communication is key, both for indicating who to heal and when to activate an ÜberCharge.

Primary weapons

Your ability to heal teammates will often make you the primary target of many enemy players. When in combat, be hard to hit: jump, duck, and strafe to avoid damage. Your natural health regeneration will often not be enough to keep you alive, so rely on your allies for protection and ask them to leave health pickups for you. Unless you are forced to fight, you should retreat if all nearby teammates are defeated.

Syringe Gun

Syringe Gun

The Syringe Gun rapidly fires needles in a slow parabolic arc, which deal moderate damage at close range only. It is not a great weapon - your teammates should protect you so that you don't have to use it. The Syringe Gun should be used as a last resort when enemies directly attack you; aim slightly upward and lead targets accordingly to compensate for the slow projectile speed.

Blutsauger + reskins

Blutsauger Australium Blutsauger

The Blutsauger heals you for 3 health for each shot that hits an enemy, but lowers your natural health regeneration even when it's not your active weapon. The lifesteal effect is useful in a direct fight, usually when you are caught out alone and need to find teammates or a health kit. If your team reliably protects you from enemies, equip a different weapon to retain your natural regeneration.

Crusader's Crossbow + reskins

Crusader's Crossbow Festive Crusader's Crossbow

The Crusader's Crossbow is your only primary weapon that can heal, at a distance further than the Medi Gun, no less! Depending on who you hit, crossbow bolts either damage enemies or heal allies, with shot power increasing the farther it travels. The Crossbow's most common application is to heal teammates that are far away from you, such as roaming Scouts, Soldiers, and Spies; you can tell your allies to stand still if you have trouble landing long-range healing shots. For nearby injured teammates, shoot them with the Crossbow for burst healing before swapping to your Medi Gun. Overall, you gain an extra healing ability in exchange for self-defense; the Crossbow's slow fire rate makes it unreliable in a fight.

Overdose

Overdose

Depending on how full your ÜberCharge meter is, the Overdose grants up to 20% additional movement speed. This weapon makes it easier to dodge projectiles or flee from enemies if you're under attack. In particular, the extra speed increases the odds that you won't have to waste your ÜberCharge in self-defense. The movement speed bonus only applies when the Overdose is your active weapon, so healing teammates will return you to normal speed. The Overdose deals slightly less damage in combat, encouraging you to seek help from teammates to preserve ÜberCharge instead of fighting enemies. The maximum speed bonus is still not enough to outrun an aggressive Scout, so you may still need to turn and fight regardless.

Secondary weapons

You cannot heal yourself, so you will want to work with your team. To heal an ally, target them with your Medi Gun out and fire away. You can only heal one teammate at a time, so you will sometimes need to decide who takes priority:

  • Before a fight, spread your healing among your team to overheal them and decide which allies might best protect you. If there is not enough time to heal everyone, prioritize classes likely to take damage first: the Scout, Soldier, Demoman, Heavy, and Sniper.
  • Once the fight begins, prioritize healing other Medics, then teammates who are taking heavy damage, then teammates with low health. If no one is in danger of dying, heal and overheal nearby teammates that roam away from you often, who you won't get to often heal.
  • At all times, you take priority. Your healing beam bends around corners and stays locked onto patients, so you are able to stay behind cover, dodge enemy attacks, and turn around to watch for flanking foes.
  • Prioritize targets that are under fire over ones that are at the back, even if the ones behind the frontline have less health. Teammates that are under fire need it most to keep the enemy team back.

As you heal allies, the ÜberCharge meter will gradually fill up. It fills more quickly if you are healing wounded allies, rewarding you for staying near combat. Your different secondary weapons have different ÜberCharges; communicate with your team to best use your chosen effect.

Medi Gun + reskins

Medi Gun Festive Medi Gun Silver Botkiller Medi Gun Australium Medi Gun

Compared to your other choices, the standard Medi Gun charges the slowest but arguably has the most powerful ÜberCharge. It provides 8 seconds of invincibility to you and an ally, which is useful in almost any situation. Offensively, you can push into a defensive encampment, particularly those with chokepoints or Sentry Guns. Defensively, you can hold a contested area when outnumbered or counter an enemy Medic's ÜberCharge. 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 your healing beam between them, at the cost of it draining significantly faster.

Kritzkrieg

Kritzkrieg

The Kritzkrieg functions similarly to the Medi Gun, but charges 25% faster and provides 8 seconds of guaranteed Critical hits to its target upon ÜberCharge instead of invulnerability. It promotes a riskier, offensive playstyle; if the enemy Medic uses the standard Medi Gun, you will be fully charged first and can quickly overwhelm his team. The Kritzkrieg's ÜberCharge does not protect you or your teammate, so it is best on the Soldier, Demoman, and Heavy, classes that deal ranged area damage. Unlike the Medi Gun, the Kritzkrieg is ineffective against the Engineer's Sentry Gun, as buildings are not affected by critical hits.

Quick-Fix

Quick-Fix

The Quick-Fix heals teammates the fastest of your secondary weapons, making it useful for healing multiple injured teammates during combat. You also copy the explosive jumps of a friendly Soldier or Demoman when healing them, allowing you to easily keep up with them. However, the Quick-Fix can only overheal allies to 125% of their max health rather than 150%. Your team will be at disadvantage at the beginning of fights, when your enemies are presumably fully overhealed.

The Quick-Fix's ÜberCharge triples the rate of healing, grants immunity to knockback, and charges 10% faster than the Medi Gun. It is best used to maintain momentum rather than protect an area; you can still be overpowered by the invincibility from an enemy Medic's Medi Gun ÜberCharge and sources of massive damage, such as crit boosts.

Vaccinator

Vaccinator

The Vaccinator is trickier to use than your other options. When healing an ally with the Vaccinator, you can cycle between granting the two of you a 10% resistance to either bullets, explosions, or fire. Its ÜberCharge, which builds 67% faster and is stored in 4 smaller bars, increases the chosen resistance to 75% for 2.5 seconds. The Vaccinator's defensive capabilities, combined with the reduced overheal rate, are best used to maintain an immediate advantage at the front lines. In fights, adjust the Vaccinator to face whatever weapons your enemies carry. For example, a Pyro can always deal fire damage, but may have a Shotgun, which deals bullet damage. The Vaccinator deploys each ÜberCharge as a shield; you can rapidly place shields on multiple teammates or stack them on the same target to protect against multiple damage types. Note that the Vaccinator's ÜberCharge rate is significantly reduced when healing targets at full health; stay near the action to heal injured teammates.

Melee weapons

Bonesaw + reskins

Bonesaw Frying Pan Saxxy Conscientious Objector Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Festive Bonesaw Prinny Machete

If you are cornered and aiming your Syringe Gun is difficult, you can take out the Bonesaw as a last resort. Although you have above-average movement speed to catch up to enemies, keep in mind that they still have guns. All of your other melee weapons possess some sort of utility. Because of how rarely you enter melee combat in standard gameplay, melee weapons that provide some utility buff are preferred.

Ubersaw + reskins

Übersaw Festive Ubersaw

The Ubersaw swings slightly slower than the Bonesaw, but grants a massive 25% boost to your ÜberCharge meter for each attack that lands. If an enemy misjudges his ability to fight you, take him out with the Ubersaw for an instant advantage. If you end up cornered, as a last resort, you can try taking out the Ubersaw to quickly fill the default Medi Gun's meter, then escape with the resulting invincibility.

Avoid actively seeking combat with the Ubersaw to build charge. Melee combat is risky against any class, and you can build the equivalent 25% after about 10 seconds of healing injured teammates as they fight.

Vita-Saw

Vita-Saw

The Vita-Saw grants minor ÜberCharge insurance. Hitting an enemy with it harvests an Organ; each Organ lets you retain 15% of your ÜberCharge upon dying, up to a cap of 60%. As a Medic, you will inevitably become a priority target for the enemy team. If your ÜberCharge is not fully charged and you are cornered, fight back with the Vita-Saw to ensure at least some of your hard work remains after death. Of course, the small -10 health penalty might mean you die more often against burst damage. The Vita-Saw is useless in situations where you cannot respawn, such as Arena or Sudden Death.

Amputator

Amputator

While you hold the Amputator, you regenerate 3 extra health per second, useful when escaping a fight or suffering from effects such as afterburn and bleeding. Taunting will play a melody that heals all nearby allies that are not obstructed by cover. This melody doesn't build much ÜberCharge and leaves you defenseless for four seconds, so play it only when you absolutely need to heal multiple teammates at once. The Amputator deals 20% less damage than the Bonesaw but is still considered an upgrade because as the Medic, you'll rarely engage in melee combat.

Solemn Vow

Solemn Vow

The Solemn Vow allows you to see enemy health, names, and ÜberCharge percentage, like with the Spy. While you heal teammates, also spend time looking at the enemy - you can tell your team about weakened foes and the ÜberCharge state of enemy Medics. If you are alone, this ability helps you decide whether to fight or run from a pursuing enemy. The Solemn Vow suffers a 10% attack speed penalty, which is practically negligible for its benefits.

The Solemn Vow's benefits are always active, unlike how the Ubersaw or Vitasaw require you to land melee attacks, or how the Amputator's taunt leaves you vulnerable. It becomes a more useful choice against skilled opponents who will not let you freely utilize the other melee weapons.

See also