Amico del Medico

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Zat vas doctor-assisted homicide! (Kvello è stato un omicidio assistito dal dottore! Premi per ascoltare — Il Medico

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Il termine amico del Medico si riferisce ad una classe che è particolarmente compatibile con il Medico in ogni situazione offensiva o difensiva. Un "amico" del Medico è diverso da un "paziente", che è semplicemente il giocatore che il Medico sta curando al momento. In molti casi, l'amico del Medico è un buon candidato per un'ÜberCarica.

Tipici "amici" del Medico

Le classi seguenti sono scelte ideali come amici del Medico. I tratti che condividono sono la vita più alta del normale, grandi danni, e l'abilità di fare danni a più nemici alla volta. Uno degli aspetti strategici più importanti che un Medico deve avere è l'abilità di adattarsi in ogni situazione. Ricordati che delle classi potrebbero essere più utili delle altre in certe situazioni. Per esempio, un Soldato o un Demolitore è capace di distruggere le Torrette da grandi distanze, più del Grosso. Questo rende le due classi i migliori amici del Medico quando bisogna combattere contro Ingegneri nemici.

Soldato

La grande quantità di salute del soldato e la potenza del suo attacco sono una combinazione mortale quando c'è un Medico che cura costantemente. Stare sempre sovracurati permetterà al soldato di fare salti-razzo per raggiungere il campo di battaglia efficientemente e senza danni, facendo migliorare enormemente la sua mobilità. Una coppia Soldato/Medico è fatta per distruggere le costruzioni da media a lunga distanza, facendo danno anche ai nemici raggruppati, e togliendo di torno dei bersagli specifici. Quando è insieme a un Medico, il soldato è avvantaggiato se usa il Lanciarazzi invece del Colpo Diretto. Se bersagliato da una Kritzkrieg, il danno del Lanciarazzi permette al soldato di colpire più nemici alla volta, con la possibilità di farli saltare in aria con un solo colpo critico. È importante che le due classi scelgano il momento giusto per attivare le ÜberCariche cosicché vengano utilizzate solo quando il soldato non stia ricaricando.

Piro

Il Piro è fatto per i combattimenti ravvicinati e sarà esposto al fuoco nemico prima di fare milti danni. Se c'è un medico che garantisce una fonte continua di guarigione, un Piro può essere tranquillamente colpito mentre incenerisce i suoi avversari. Tuttavia, a causa della portata limitata della Pistola Medica del Medico, seguire un Piro in mezzo alla mischia spesso espone il Medico ai pericoli. Per questo, è meglio per i Medici curare un Piro in situazioni difensive, dove c'è un rischio ridotto di incontrare nemici. Se la coppia si ritrova sotto il fuoco nemico senza un'ÜberCarica pronta, è meglio ritirarsi per proteggere il Medico. Il Piro è molto efficiente nel distruggere le costruzioni e causare caos nel bel mezzo di un'ÜberCarica, specialmente in spazi ristretti. Dato che la portata del Lanciafiamme del Piro è così corta, il Piro è sensibile al rinculo. Se la Torretta non è subito dietro l'angolo, sarà necessario far passare prima il Medico per coprire il Piro dai colpi della Torretta. Dato che entrambi i membri rimarranno vulnerabili nella durata della Kritzkrieg, i Piro non sono buoni destinatari per essa.

Demoman

Out of all of the nine classes, the Demoman, with his explosives, has the greatest attack potential. Like the Soldier, the Demoman can execute explosive jumps, greatly increasing his mobility. It is preferable that when paired with a Medic, the Demoman equip the Stickybomb Launcher or the Scottish Resistance over the Chargin' Targe, as the need to attack at close range may endanger the Medic’s life and is relegated to a Pyro/Medic pair. Thus, the Demoman sacrifices the ability to defend himself and the Medic efficiently at close-range in order to deal consistent indirect damage. Still, all of his explosive weaponry can be brutal towards large clusters of enemies, making him an excellent choice for a Medic’s Kritzkrieg charge. Stickybombs have a very large explosive radius, allowing multiple enemies to be killed per bomb. The Demoman also has access to multiple melee weapons with extended range, allowing for enemies to easily be hit. Because the Demoman can lay down multiple Stickybombs before detonating all of them, he and a Medic working together are excellent for destroying Engineer buildings in almost any situation. In order to not waste any time, both members of the pair must time the ÜberCharge activation for when the Demoman has loaded weapons.

Heavy

The Heavy’s large pool of health points allows him to soak up a lot of damage, making him very difficult to defeat when overhealed. While his large size and slow speed makes him easy to follow and keep track of, they also easily attract the attention of enemy players. A Heavy with the Gloves of Running Urgently equipped can easily keep up with the Medic’s faster run speed as well as help build his ÜberCharge. When in combat, his significant close-range firepower helps greatly in protecting the Medic. The Heavy’s immobility when firing his Minigun makes him very vulnerable to knock back. When using the standard ÜberCharge, the Medic must sometimes walk in front of the Heavy in order to draw enemy fire. When charged with the Kritzkrieg, his Minigun can shred targets in almost any situation, whether the fighting is inside or outdoors. With both ÜberCharges, the Medic must give sufficient time for the Heavy to wind up his Minigun.

Typical Medic "baddies"

It is generally unwise to choose the following classes as a Medic buddy. These classes are usually not found on the frontlines of the battlefield, where most healing is needed, due to their low health and specific roles. They all lack the crowd control capabilities of the more ideal Medic buddies, making defending the Medic more difficult.

Scout

The Scout’s low health and suicidal style of play usually mean that he will die easily, even when being healed. While a Medic can use the Quick-Fix to match the Scout's fast speed, the Scout cannot provide the same degree of protection that a typical Medic buddy can. Still, he will often be injured and run back to be healed. These brief periods of time where the two are together are when most Scout/Medic pairs work together. All of the Scout’s weapons run out of ammunition relatively quickly, making an offensive push on the front lines unfeasible. A good Scout is capable of avoiding most damage without an ÜberCharge, making him one of the last candidates to receive it. Should this happen as a last resort, the Scout should stay near the Medic so as to keep the ÜberCharge. Because the Scout’s damage output is so high, he can be a surprisingly good Kritzkrieg target in tight quarters or defensive positions. Even so, an unbuffed Scout may have difficulty dealing with clusters of enemies, making him a poor Medic buddy.

Engineer

Because Engineers can build their own Dispensers and stay away from fighting, having a Medic around would prove to be very little help. A Medic specifically healing an Engineer would only occur in special situations, such as when an Engineer is trying to repair a Sentry Gun under enemy fire. An Engineer on the front lines that is using the Wrangler bears much destructive potential but is even more immobile than the Heavy, making him an unfavorable ÜberCharge candidate. A more unconventional tactic would for a Medic to ÜberCharge an Engineer as he deploys his Sentry Gun in a key offensive position; the pair can use their invulnerability to shield the Sentry Gun from enemy fire.

Sniper

The Sniper tends to sit at the back of the battlefield, so it is rare that a Medic will heal him. Still, there are situations where healing a Sniper may be beneficial to the team. If locked in a Sniper duel, an overhealed Sniper cannot be killed with a fully charged bodyshot or even an uncharged headshot, giving him a strong advantage. A Sniper carrying the Huntsman will often fight close to the front lines and will require healing. Even when at the front lines, the Sniper’s lack of strong close-range weaponry and the long intervals between shots make protecting the Medic incredibly difficult. Because of these reasons, the Sniper is a poor choice for either of the two ÜberCharges. It is notable that when under the influence of Kritzkrieg, the Sniper does not need to use his Sniper Rifle’s scope to deal the equivalent of an uncharged headshot.

Another Medic

Although Medics do regenerate health over time, they cannot use their Medi Gun to rapidly heal themselves. While it is important that Medics heal each other to stay alive, it is unwise to for them to accompany each other as Medic buddies in an offensive push. The Medic, with his moderate health pool and fast speed, has above-average survivability but low damage output. Unless in a desperate situation, time spent fighting would be better spent building ÜberCharge for use on another class. If the Medics are feeling particularly ambitious, they may be able to pull off the Chain ÜberCharge strategy.

Spy

Because the Spy relies on stealth and disguises, healing him while he is near an enemy will usually blow his cover. Medics should use discretion and heal offensive classes before the Spy. However, since fire negates the Spy’s disguise and Cloak, he should be one of the first classes a Medic extinguishes after encountering a Pyro. Not counting backstabs, the Spy has the lowest damage output out of all nine classes, making him a terrible choice for a frontal assault using any ÜberCharge.

ÜberCharge recipients

ÜberCharging another player is typically done with a certain goal in mind. Different situations will call for different classes.

Raw damage and Zone control

When attempting to rid an area of multiple enemies, a Heavy or Pyro would be a favorable choice for an ÜberCharge. The Heavy deals respectable damage from short to mid-range, shredding anything nearby. However, his slow speed limits his effectiveness at longer ranges, especially if the enemy retreats or uses cover. The Pyro can deal massive damage when ambushing, meaning that an ÜberCharge can only increase the chaos. While the Pyro is faster than the Heavy, the Flamethrower’s short range renders him even more ineffective against opponents at afar.

Tactical targets

To gain an immediate advantage by taking out a specific target, a Soldier or Demoman make good choices. While slower than the Pyro and weaker than the Heavy, both classes have a range advantage and can still damage multiple enemies at once with their explosive weaponry. Their mobility and firepower can allow a team to gain and keep momentum in an offensive push.

Sentry removal

Depending on the location of the Engineer’s nest, all four favorable Medic buddies can excel at destroying Sentry Guns. The Soldier can fire rockets at buildings from any range, as buildings do not suffer from damage falloff, but is more easily thwarted by an Engineer repairing the Sentry Gun. At close range, the high damage output offered by the Pyro and Heavy allow them to destroy a Sentry Gun and kill the Engineer repairing it. Demomen are typically the best choice for destroying difficult Sentry Guns, as they can negate a repairing Engineer by detonating multiple Stickybombs to destroy the gun in one blast. At slightly farther ranges, it may be necessary for the Medic to run ahead of the patient to draw Sentry Gun fire and prevent knock back. Because critical hits do not affect buildings, the Kritzkrieg is useless against Sentry Guns.

General defense

A typical way to counter an enemy ÜberCharge is to deploy another one on any teammate under fire, as one ÜberCharged player can completely block another’s progress. Remaining charge time after the enemy loses their invulnerability can be used to drive them back, making it more advantageous to deploy the counter ÜberCharge later. An ÜberCharge is a good way to handle an overwhelming number of enemies and can be used on any class as a last resort. It is better for a Medic to deploy an ÜberCharge and waste it than to die while fully charged.

Being a good Medic buddy

A surefire way for any player to never be followed by a Medic is by being a poor Medic buddy.

The most important thing about coordinating with a Medic is communication. A Medic buddy should use a microphone or voice commands to warn or direct the Medic. If the Medic does not give orders, his patient should take charge of the situation and speak about how and where to use an ÜberCharge.

When being healed, the patient shouldn't rush ahead of the Medic or run off to the Resupply area, especially when he's the only other teammate nearby; a Medic needs to be healing a teammate in order to build his ÜberCharge meter. The patient should always remain near the Medic unless a more viable Medic buddy arrives to fill his place.

Being constantly healed does not make a patient invincible, especially when under heavy enemy fire. A Medic buddy typically should not push too far forward into enemy territory and know when to retreat, especially if the Medic could easily be flanked. If the Medic is behind cover, a Medic buddy should not move very far away, as the Medic’s Medi Gun has limited range. While the Medic does regenerate health, he cannot heal himself. Priority to receive health packs should always go to the Medic, who can then proceed to heal everyone else.

Keeping the Medic alive allows all team members to easily access a source of healing. In return for healing, a Medic buddy is expected to protect the Medic. A Medic will often die rather than pull out their Syringe Gun, as they trust their patient to eliminate any nearby threats. Because of their importance to the team, Medics will often be targeted by Scouts, Pyros, Snipers, and Spies, classes that rely on ambushes or opportunities. It is necessary to keep moving around while looking for any potential threats.