Anti-Medic strategy

“

Your doctor is dead! Click to listen — The Heavy

”

The Medic moves quickly and has a decent amount of health, but is poor at self-defense, requiring the protection of his healing partner and teammates to survive. Medics are the highest priority target on the battlefield due to their ability to heal teammates and deploy ÜberCharges, which grant invulnerability, 100% critical chance, resistance to a selected damage type, or a powerful healing buff for eight seconds. Due to their limited armament, most Medics will flee if they don't have any teammates around for protection. While a low threat by himself, the Medic's ability to overheal his teammates presents a substantial threat to an isolated player, and skilled Medics are capable of holding their own if the conditions are right. Nevertheless, it is generally a good idea to kill Medics at any cost, including your own life, as their loss will affect their team far more than your death will affect your team.

General

Attributes	Anti-Medic strategy
Role	The Medic should always be top priority when considering whom to kill. A team without their Medic is at a severe disadvantage. Medics isolated from their teams or Medic buddies are much more easily killed. Medics should be the preferred target when attacking a Medic combo. The healing partner will be minimally affected by most damage until the Medic is dead. The healing connection a Medic has to his partner can be broken using Knockback.
Health	The longer the Medic is out of combat, the faster his health regenerates. Consistent damage can keep his health regeneration rate low.
Speed	The Medic has the second highest base speed of all classes, so he will be harder to pursue and hit. Pay attention to this, and try to take him down using splash damage.
Power	The Medic is quite weak when trying to defend himself. Most classes should be able to take out an unassisted Medic with little trouble.

Weapon-specific

Main article: Medic weapons

A list of useful tidbits about the Medic's tools, and how to counter them.

Primary weapons

• Needles fired from Syringe Guns are individually weak, but can quickly stack up for huge amounts of damage. Try to avoid as many as possible.
• Needles fired from Syringe Guns are slow to travel and arc significantly. Keeping your distance can make dodging them easy.
• Syringe Guns are better designed for dispatching a retreating Medic's pursuers than for facing enemies in direct combat. Ambush the Medic or attack him from long-range; avoid underestimating a Medic by rushing towards him.

Weapon	Anti-Medic strategy
Syringe Gun	A Medic will often use his Syringe Gun when there are no teammates to protect him. Keep your distance and strafe to avoid the needles, then close in as the Medic reloads. A Medic will also most likely retreat soon after he pulls out his Syringe Gun; while it is often advantageous to pursue and kill a Medic to debilitate his team, consider the risk of him killing you or leading you into overwhelming backup. The Syringe Gun uses the same sound as the Blutsauger, making it hard to distinguish one from the other. Be sure to know what you are dealing with before attacking the Medic.
Blutsauger	The Blutsauger allows a Medic to replenish health; avoiding the Blutsauger's needles is just as important as dealing damage to the Medic firing them. The Blutsauger decreases a Medic's regeneration rate, making him more susceptible to afterburn and bleed. The Blutsauger uses the same sound as the Syringe Gun, making it hard to distinguish one from the other. Be sure to know what you are dealing with before attacking the Medic.
Crusader's Crossbow / Festive Crusader's Crossbow	The Crusader's Crossbow deals more damage the further away a target is; close the distance to reduce the damage a bolt will deal. The Crusader's Crossbow has a slow firing rate, giving you many opportunities to retaliate. The bolts fired from the Crusader's Crossbow heal the Medic's teammates; most classes fully recover health when hit by a friendly bolt from long-range. Keep the Medic's attention on you and your team to prevent him from aiding his teammates instead.
Overdose	A Medic with the Overdose can be harder to catch up to, especially if he's had time to build up his Übercharge. Pursuing this Medic may not be worth the risk of leaving your post and/or running into enemy forces. A Medic using the Overdose is slightly easier to attack when he is separated from his team, as the weapon does 10% less damage than the default Syringe Gun.

Secondary weapons / ÜberCharge

Weapon	Anti-Medic strategy
Medi Gun / Festive Medi Gun	See Defense against ÜberCharge.
Kritzkrieg	See Defense against Kritzkrieg.
Quick-Fix	See Defense against Quick-Fix.
Vaccinator	See Defense against Vaccinator.

Melee weapons

Weapon	Anti-Medic strategy
Bonesaw / Saxxy / Conscientious Objector / Frying Pan / Freedom Staff / Bat Outta Hell / Ham Shank	The Medic's above-average movement speed allows him to chase retreating foes with his Bonesaw. Knocking back or stunning the Medic can help you deter or eliminate him without taking much damage.
Ubersaw / Festive Ubersaw	Engaging a Medic equipped with the Ubersaw in melee should be a last resort, as any hit he lands on you with the weapon gains him 25% more ÜberCharge. Attack him from outside his melee range to prevent this. Scouts using Bonk! Atomic Punch should keep their distance from Medics with the Ubersaw; they can still gain Übercharge from striking phasing Scouts. If a Medic manages to score multiple hits with the Ubersaw, He might use his Übercharge to retreat safely. If he attempts this, use knockback to deny him from retreating.
Vita-Saw	A Medic using the Vita-Saw may be able to fill his ÜberCharge sooner upon respawning, but he has 10 less health than a Medic without the Vita-Saw. Attack the Medic as you would if he had the Bonesaw.
Amputator	A Medic with the Amputator out may be preparing to heal his team with the weapon's taunt. Either attack the Medic to prevent him from taunting or allow him to, rendering himself immobile for a few seconds. The Amputator increases the Medic's regeneration rate, making afterburn and bleed less effective at finishing him off. Use teamwork and strong weaponry to prevent him from retreating; engaging the Medic in melee combat is also an option, as Amputator's damage penalty puts him at a disadvantage.
Solemn Vow	The Solemn Vow allows a Medic to see his enemies' health, making it easier for him to pick off weakened targets. Stay away from him when you have low health so he and his team don't single you out. If you engage the Medic in melee, fight him as you would a Medic using the Bonesaw.

See also

• Team strategy