Play a Medic in Team Fortress 2

The Medic is the German life support of Team Fortress 2. While he has little regard for medical ethics and, despite losing his medical license, he can save someone from death and heal them back to health in seconds. If caught in a fight, Medics can hold some ground with their Syringe Gun and get in close with the Bonesaw. And, if he teams up with a Heavy and kicks in his Medic Gun's powerful ÜberCharge, the Medic has the ability to demolish everything in his path.

Steps

The Medic's weaponry

  1. Get to know his weapons. Every Medic possesses a 40/150 Syringe Gun (Primary), the class defining Medi-Gun (Secondary) and their last resort, the Bonesaw (Melee). They may also unlock a series of alternate weapons by successfully completing Medic Achievements.
    • Use the Bonesaw sparingly, at point-blank range. Melee kills are always fun, and melee weapons have taken quite a boost in power since the Team Fortress Classic (TFC) crowbar, but don't get cocky. Save your Bonesaw for stealthy strikes from behind, or if your attacker is right next to you and retreating isn't an option. Otherwise, you're usually better off healing another teammate and letting them finish the job for you instead.
    • Use the Syringe Gun for distance shots. As the name implies, the Syringe Gun fires hypodermic needles. It is not the most powerful weapon in TF2, but it is often underestimated by most players. An experienced player can be lethal with the Syringe Gun in their hands.
    • Note that the needles from the Syringe Gun actually fire slightly to the right of where the crosshair is. Fire at a wall from varying distances and look where the needles land to get a feel of where to aim. They also arc downward rather quickly. You'll need to aim upward and to the left with the Syringe Gun if you intend to hit any enemies from a distance. This does, however, make it useful to shoot over short hills.
    • The Syringe Gun's needles travel through the air slowly, which can make them easy for other players to dodge them. Keep this in mind.
    • Try using the Syringe Gun to provide cover fire for your team. They'll stay in the air long enough to travel at enemies that like to sidestep back and forth from corners.
    • Since the Syringe Gun's projectiles move through the air slowly, it is a good strategy to fire if an enemy is chasing you, with you either standing still, moving towards him, or backtracking. If he moves towards your syringes, he is more likely to get hit and thus die.
  2. Use the Medi Gun to heal your teammates. This is essentially a given; your teammates will respect you for being able to heal them effectively and quickly.
    • The biggest change to the Medic since TFC is his ability to heal from a distance. You can now space yourself out from between your teammate as you heal them to avoid splash damage. You don't have to keep your crosshairs on the player to keep healing them, so you should look around frequently to keep an eye on the rest of the battlefield; it's a good idea to look for other wounded players, and keep an eye out for approaching Spies and Pyros.
    • In addition to healing, your Medi Gun can raise a player's health to 150% more of their maximum health. This will slowly return back to its maximum when you stop healing them. You can tell how "overhealed" a player is by the white glowing/pulsating surrounding his or her health cross; the bigger this glow, the more over healing they have received.
    • You will earn an "assist kill" if you are healing a teammate that gets a kill point.
  3. Use your ÜberCharge to make you and one of your teammates invincible for a short time. As you heal players, you will notice that the small bar on the bottom right corner of your HUD will start to fill itself. This is your ÜberCharge meter. When this reaches 100%, the Medic will announce that he is "charged". By right-clicking, you will activate the ÜberCharge, which will make you and your healing target completely invulnerable for a maximum of 8 seconds
    • Note that you and your target cannot capture points when Über Charged. Similarly, you and your target will not be able to carry the enemy intelligence (flag). However, you can still prevent the enemy team from taking a capture point while ÜberCharged.
    • Your ÜberCharge meter will fill fastest when healing a damaged player. It fills slowest when over healing a player who is already at 150% of their maximum health. This gives Medics an incentive to take care of his team as a whole, rather than to attach themselves to the nearest Heavy.
    • The announcement of "I am charged!" can be heard by nearby enemies. If you wish to cover up this tell-tale signal so they are less likely to be prepared for it, you can call for a Medic (or any other vocal command) just as the meter reaches 100%, and it will override the passive "I am charged!" announcement.

Healing play

  1. Don't worry too much about killing enemies. The Medic is almost exclusively a support class, so he won't be taking part in as much battling as would a Soldier or other class. Even so, you'll receive plenty of assist kill points by keeping other players healed as they take out enemies.
  2. Don't forget about healing other Medics too! This is one point that most Medics tend to forget while on the front line. Medics slowly regenerate their health over time, but not fast enough to be useful during battle. Good Medics should look out for one another. If you are hurt, don't be afraid to call for a Medic like everyone else. Most of the time, it's colleagues before comrades. Healing another Medic on your team to save his life will ensure that he continues to heal, and keep building his ÜberCharge up.
  3. Set your priorities. Lots of players like to shout for a Medic for the sake of getting your attention to come keep them healed - despite having full health. While it's good to keep your more vocal teammates buffed, make sure that you keep everyone else alive too.
  4. Unlock the Medic's alternate equipment by completing the Medic achievements. Medics have 36 class-specific achievements that gradually unlock three unique items.
    • The Blutsauger replaces the Syringe Gun after completing 10 Medic achievements. Each needle that strikes an opponent will heal the Medic for 3 HP. The tradeoff to this weapon is that it will reduce your own rate of health recovery.
    • The Kritzkrieg replaces the ÜberCharge. This is unlocked after attaining 16 Medic achievements. A charged Kritzkrieg will allow the Medic to grant another player a 100% critical hit rate for 10 seconds. It also charges 25% faster than the Medi Gun, but it does not provide invulnerability. Using the taunt for the Kritzkrieg (Oktoberfest) will give you 10 health points, but you are vulnerable while the taunt animation plays. This is best used when alone and on fire.
    • The Übersaw replaces the Bonesaw. This is attained by unlocking 22 Medic achievements. The Übersaw swings 20% slower than the Bonesaw (about one swing per second), but each hit will charge the Medic's ÜberCharge meter by 25%. Keep this in mind when you are attacking another enemy, as while you will get more ÜberCharge but will get less attack time. Be aware that that might kill you, losing all your ÜberCharge.
    • Note that you may switch back to your original equipment at any time by accessing the character load out (default key M or via the TF2 menu (i.e. hit Escape)). You can also edit up to 4 pre-set loadouts of equipment, and just change the preset you're using when the situation calls for it.
  5. Stay behind your team. This is a key aspect of survivability, if you're ahead of your team you will be an easy pick for the enemy.
  6. Use ÜberCharges for attacking. Use your ÜberCharge as an offensive tool, not to save your heavy that is backing up. In competitive play, the game is based around which team has Über advantage (more Über than the enemy). When Übering, back up towards the end of it! The uber ends in 8 seconds (less if you change targets) so once you are alone with your healing target you will be an easy pick.

Quick-fix medic

  1. Overdose for increased speed while chasing enemies. But you still are not faster than a scout. Remember that overdose will give you a 10% speed boost when ÜberCharged, but deals 20% less damage.
  2. Quick-Fix (But of course!), for rapid engagement from one player to another.
  3. Amputator, to make sure that you stay alive, and that you can heal your entire team by taunting with it.
  4. Activating the advanced option: "Injured teammates automatically call out."
  5. Be sure to switch out the overdose when a player automatically calls out, to make sure this player stays alive.
  6. Be fast.

Tips

  • Once you get a decent handle on the flow of the game, you will find that at certain times you can best support your teammate by attacking, instead of continuing to overheal him. Perhaps a Spy has gotten between you and him, and is going for a backstab, or they could just use a little extra damage on a target. This is tricky because a battle can change very rapidly, and your primary job is keeping your teammate healed. Still, every once in a while you can do more good by switching to your Syringe Gun or Bonesaw than by continuing to shower your teammate with unnecessary Medic love.
  • Medics, perhaps even more than the other classes, need to know where the health kits are located in each level. Don't be afraid to keep them to yourself (with reason).
  • Remember, don't just stay focused healing the more powerful classes. Remember to heal other injured teammates to improve the survivability of your entire team.
  • Eventually, over time, you will begin to notice how long it takes to heal certain classes. This plays a key role in spotting disguised Spies. If you are healing a Heavy who is in critical condition, but is back to full health in only a second, bring out the Bonesaw.
  • It's better to use your ÜberCharge prematurely to save yourself than to die with 100%. If your health dips into the red or things start getting too hot, it's probably a good idea to right-click and look for the nearest teammate than to attempt a retreat and risk dying with a perfectly good ÜberCharge.
  • A Medic's ÜberCharge will fill more quickly during setup time, as long as he is actively healing someone. Other players do not need to damage themselves in order to boost your ÜberCharge fill speed during this period.
  • Be sure to keep an eye out for players calling for a heal. You can easily hear them shouting "Medic!" or "Doctor!", as well as seeing a small red cross balloon appear over their head. You'll also see a message appear in the chat window.
  • It is sometimes best to keep the ÜberCharge as a secret weapon, for instance, when you are following a Pyro or a Heavy, and you see about four enemies ahead. They will be expecting to kill you without any trouble, but most of the time, they won't be expecting an ÜberCharge. Using ÜberCharge on a Heavy or Pyro will end the fight in seconds, giving both you and the Heavy/Pyro a lot of points.
  • If you have more than one attacker in a group, it's possible to switch targets in the middle of your ÜberCharge, but you will be penalized for doing so. Your ÜberCharge will drain significantly faster if you have more than one player ÜberCharged at one time. Regardless, this is an intimidating strategy that is worth keeping multiple players invincible for a few moments.
  • Remember, as a Medic, the best thing you can do is heal someone. It's a good class to get a feel of the game with.
  • It helps to communicate your intentions to your team. The built-in voice communication is invaluable for this, so be sure to use it if you have a working microphone. If you plan to ÜberCharge the nearest Pyro while you have been healing a Demoman, let them know, so that he doesn't run to his death.
  • Stay behind your shield! If you are healing a Soldier or a Heavy, it's generally a good idea to keep them between you and whatever enemies happen to be firing at the both of you, unless there's a convenient corner to hide behind. They can absorb rockets and bullets much better than you can, and it'll help charge your ÜberCharge, to boot!
  • So you've managed to survive long enough to fill the ÜberCharge meter; now, who should you use it on? This depends almost entirely on the situation, but despite popular belief, you do not want to go for the heavy first. You should go for Soldiers or Demomen first because they have splash damage. This splash damage will enable them to do more damage to more players. You then heal Pyros, Scouts (with the new update you run as fast as a Scout when healing them), Snipers, other Medics, and Engineers. Never ÜberCharge a Spy; they have weak weapons and unless they're disguised as an enemy Spy, all you're doing is blowing their cover.
    • Also, given the choice, you will probably want to use your ÜberCharge on the more experienced players on your team; the ones who are likely to use it to full effect instead of wasting it. Typically (but not always) these will be the people at the top of your team's scoreboard.
  • In the advanced multiplayer options, turn on the team Medic auto call, which signal which players need healing even if they don't, as well as the the heal toggle, which will let you start healing with only a click, rather than having to hold down you mouse button.
  • If you're using an ÜberCharge to take out a Sentry, take the lead during your push to absorb the knockback from the Sentry, allowing your ÜberCharged teammate to attack it with minimal resistance.
    • Remember that Engineer buildings don't take critical damage, so a Kritzkrieg Über charge will not help destroy a Sentry nest.
  • If you are paranoid about encountering a Spy, the most effective way to "Spy check" is to walk into the suspicious player. If you pass through that player, then he is not a Spy, and is on your team. If you can't walk through the player, then he is a Spy.
    • Disguised Spies now get a random health when they disguise. If you see a teammate that is fully over healed, and you or another Medic have not healed him, then he's likely to be a Spy.
  • Über Charges are typically used in one of two ways: defensively, or offensively. If you are using it defensively, you are using it to protect yourself and/or your teammate from death. This is better than dying, but can sometimes be a partial victory of sorts for the enemy team; if you have to use your ÜberCharge to save yourself, then you cannot use it for a well-coordinated offensive push. On the other hand, sometimes a defensive ÜberCharge makes the difference between the other team taking a capture point and being beaten back. When being used offensively, you have more choice of when, where, and to whom to use your ÜberCharge, so be sure to communicate with your team to make maximum use of that charge to take down a Sentry, or to do as much damage to the enemy team as possible and achieve your team's objectives.
  • Don't use your ÜberCharge to save your target from an enemy. It's a waste, when you could be saving someone else from a lot of enemies or used for an offensive purpose (see above)

Warnings

  • Many players will act as though they are invincible when they see they are being healed, and will charge into certain death. While frontline combat Medics are an invaluable asset to the team, do not allow overconfident players to draw you out too far along with them. Sometimes it will become necessary to let an overconfident teammate rush to his death to preserve your team's healing ability and your progress towards the next Ubercharge.
  • Although you and your target cannot take damage while ÜberCharge is activated, you can still be knocked around by explosions, such as from Rockets, Stickybombs, or Sentry attacks. Be careful not to get separated from your target.
  • Medics are high-priority targets, especially to Pyros; while you can rapidly heal other players to put out their flames, you cannot do the same for yourself.
  • Note that the ÜberCharge does not protect against certain environmental hazards, such as the map Well's train, which will instantly kill any player that it hits.
  • After using up your ÜberCharge, you may be tempted to go out in a blaze of glory with your Syringe Gun humming or Bonesaw singing. Please don't! Your team will undoubtedly need healing during the period you'll be waiting to respawn and running back up to the front. It's best to retire back towards the rear of the fight and start building towards your next ÜberCharge, and let the combat classes handle mopping up whatever opposition is left.
  • Be wary of disguised enemy Spies. They can also be healed by your Medi Gun. Many Spies will try to get a heal or set you up for a backstab by calling for a Medic, so always be just a little bit wary. Above all, try to make sure that the person you are Über Charging is actually on your team!
  • Be aware that you can be damaged while you are healing teammates. To prevent this, use your patient as cover by hiding behind them. However, be aware that this will make you vulnerable to splash damage from a demoman or soldier, and a good chance that a spy will backstab you and the person you're healing if he sees you.

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