Medic strategy

From TF2 Wiki

The Medic's primary role is to keep his team-mates alive using his Medigun. The Medic is the only class to be able to provide invulnerability in Team Fortress 2 via his ÜberCharge. This ability is often invaluable to his team both offensively and defensively and can turn the tide of battle.

General strategy

You constantly regenerate health. If you can escape a fire fight, you can survive. Don't run into situations with a suicide mindset as with some other classes.

To make playing the class more enjoyable, select 'Options' from the main TF2 menu, then click the 'Multiplayer' tab, click 'Advanced...' and check 'Medigun continues healing without holding down fire button.'. Thus, when you want to heal someone, just click them once and the medigun will automatically lock-on and continue healing so long as it's distance and line of sight limits are not broken. If you wish to stop healing, simply click again (on your current patient or another one).
Since you cannot heal yourself directly, always ask your allies to leave Health pickups for you, promising to heal them directly in return.
Unless you are forced to defend yourself, you should always be preparing your ÜberCharge. Find someone nearby and heal him, whether he is damaged or not. Your ÜberCharge meter will fill up (albeit more slowly) even while healing a team-mate with full health.
Always keep in mind who your Medic buddies are.
As of the September 15, 2009 Patch, when damaged, a Medic that is not carrying a Blutsauger will regenerate 3 health per second. Unless the Medic is damaged again, after 5 seconds his regeneration rate increases to 6 health per second. If at any time the Medic takes damage, it starts the timer over and reverts to 3 health per second. A Medic that is carrying a Blutsauger will heal at 1 and 4 health per second, respectively. If you opt not to carry the Blutsauger, this gives the Medic the ability to regenerate his health fairly quickly if he is not damaged for certain amount of time, and increases your survivability if set on fire (as the base 3 health per second will nullify half of the fire's effects). This regeneration has nothing to do with whether or not you are healing someone else.

If you are threatened by an enemy and your target does not realise, don't be afraid to stop healing them and fight back. Most players will not expect a Medic to strike back, and taking such a risk may be what keeps you alive, preventing the loss of an ÜberCharge.

An ÜberCharged Pyro is incredibly dangerous, especially to enemy Sentries and turtling foes. With only 8 seconds of invulnerability a Pyro can do an astounding amount of damage, as the Pyro is much faster than the Heavy and doesn't have to pause to reload like the Soldier. A nearby Pyro can make a very useful target for your ÜberCharge, especially in enclosed areas.

A common problem for an Übered team trying to destroy enemy Sentries is the Sentry's knockback. The knockback will prevent you and your Übered buddy from getting in close range. As an Übered Medic, always try to walk in front of your patient and draw the Sentry's attention. The Sentry will switch targets to you, allowing your buddy to get as close as he needs to be. This is most necessary with the Pyro and Heavy classes. Always remember, do not jump while doing this, or you will be knocked across the map or possibly pinned to the skybox.

The ÜberCharge bar fills up faster if the Medic heals wounded allies instead of focusing on healthy ones. (This leads to a Soldier/Demoman strategy of intentionally damaging oneself to build up a Medic's ÜberCharge.) This is called 'leeching' or 'Übering up'. This is no longer necessary to do during setup time as the charge rate was increased in the December 20, 2007 Patch.

The Medigun beam can bend around corners. Use this to your advantage to heal your target while being protected from fire. As long as you have a direct line of sight to your patient, you can heal him.

Once locked on with your Medigun, it doesn't matter what direction you face, so turn around frequently to watch for Spies, as Medics are one of their highest priority targets.

It is important to try and stay out of sight when playing Medic. One of the biggest differences between playing the Medic well and just playing the Medic is the ability to know where enemies are and to stay out of their sight while still healing your fellow team mates. Corners work well for this, and crouching helps to make you a smaller target which makes you harder to hit.

A common mistake that some Medics make is healing only one person. On the battlefront many people are getting wounded and are in need of a Medic to heal them so they can continue their assault or defence uninterupted. Healing multiple people also benefits you, as you will recieve assist credit for your team mates kills, and if your team mates are not at their maximum overheal capacity, you will also fill your ÜberCharge meter faster.

You are unable to capture a point while ÜberCharged, and neither is your patient. However, you will both receive capture points for being on the point while ÜberCharged as a fellow teammate captures it, and you can capture points as normal when deploying a Kritzkrieg charge.

While under the effects of an ÜberCharge, it is possible to change Medigun targets. If you do this quickly enough you can effectively have more than one ÜberCharged team mate at the same time, as there is a delay before each player loses the ÜberCharge when you switch. (as of the April 1, 2008 patch, this drains your ÜberCharge faster than ÜberCharging only one person)

Communicate with the person you are healing about upcoming dangers and enemy Spies, as they are your lifeline and may not see enemies coming up from the side or behind. A quick shout may make all the difference and preserve your ÜberCharge meter.

Inform your team mate when you have your ÜberCharge ready. Even though there is a sound that plays in the game, they may not notice it. A lot of the time your Medigun target will tell you when they are ready for you to use it, otherwise use your best judgment.

When it comes to an ÜberCharge, make sure you know who's making the decisions. Ask your Medigun target if they will call it or if you should deploy it at a time of your choosing. If they don't respond when you ask them, then you should assume that it is up to you.

Be aware that enemy Spies in disguise can also call for a Medic. It may be a good idea to have your team communicate over voice chat in conjunction with the game's built-in voice functions to verify the identity of those who are calling to be healed.

Distance is not a large factor when it comes to healing. That means you don't have to be standing right next to your partner. Give yourself some space away from the action, preferably around corners or behind stationary items. But beware that you must stay within a certain radius or the beam will break, so stay reasonably close.

When capturing a control point that is being contested you don't have to be the one standing on it. Duck behind an obstruction and heal your allies that are capping. Reserve the option to hop on if there is no enemy threat.

A useful candidate for your Medigun can be an Engineer. By healing an Engineer who is under attack you can allow them to repair their Sentry gun continually without worrying about death, making his Sentry that much harder to take down. This can work especially well when an Engineer is under attack by a Soldier, Demoman, or Heavy.

Even an invincible player can have a hard time single-handedly wiping out the entire enemy defensive line. To make the most of each ÜberCharge, activate it when many other team mates are nearby and encourage them to attack alongside you. Your ÜberCharge may frighten and distract the enemies, drawing fire away from your team mates and effectively making it easier for them to attack.

One of the most important aspects of playing the Medic is understanding what Overhealing is, and how it works.
- If a Medic heals a teammate already at 100% health, it will take 1 to 3 seconds to raise them to 150% health (overhealed). The time it takes depends on the class; those with the highest starting health take the longest to overheal.
- The overheal health buff will decay completely in exactly 20 seconds for all classes as long as the overhealed target takes no damage. A Heavy has more overheal health to lose than a Scout does but since 20 seconds is the rule, the Heavy loses more health per second.
- The HUD indicates overheal by a pulsing border around the health indicator of the heal target (both on the heal target's HUD and the Medic's heal target display). The border will diminish as the overheal decays.
- When approaching an objective, as a Medic you should try to keep multiple team mates on the front line overhealed instead of only your primary healing target.
- Overhealing players fills your ÜberCharge meter at the same rate as healing injured players does, so you should try to overheal every team mate that you see. Even if you are being the Medic exclusively for one player, it is beneficial for everybody on your team if you overheal as many players as possible. Remember, however, that healing injured players should always be your primary objective and as such, team mates who have sustained damage should be put ahead of overhealing.

Weapon Specific

Medigun healing

The Medigun is a straightforward device, but remember that once you've started healing a target, you will stay "locked-on" to him until you release the fire key or the target moves out of range. This has several implications:

Never stop moving! As a Medic, you are a prime target to enemy Spies and Snipers. Constantly jumping, ducking, and strafing makes you a harder target to kill.
Check behind you often. Since you don't have to face your healing target once you have started healing, watch in every direction. You may spot a Spy or a hidden enemy well before your team-mates do. Alert them with voice commands or voice chat. If your buddies are too busy to take out the Spy, and he is still disguised, Bonesaw/Übersaw him and hope for a crit. Otherwise, you can try using your Syringe Gun/Blutsauger to drive him off. They deal damage too slowly to kill the Spy before he can cloak and run away, most of the time, but if he tries to take you out with a revolver, make sure you move around a lot to make his aiming difficult. They have low enough health such that you can usually get them before they get you.
Constantly move your crosshair over other allies; keep tabs on all of their life totals, and heal whoever needs it the most. This also helps you boost your ÜberCharge faster.
The Medigun beam can bend around short corners: use this tactic to keep you out of direct enemy fire. However, keep in mind that your Medigun beam is visible to enemies. Don't assume that just because you are not immediately visible that foes won't target you.
If you have an ÜberCharge and are in any danger of being quickly killed, activate it. It's better to survive and potentially ÜberCharge an ally than to die with a full ÜberCharge meter.
If you are forced to choose between keeping any other player alive and another Medic, choose the Medic. He probably has some charge built up: in which case it maybe better to keep the Medic alive and sacrifice another class than to lose time waiting for the Medic to respawn and recharge.
Heal damaged players first. Even if you heal them a small amount, it is often better to heal someone low on health than to boost another to 150%.
You charge up your Über faster by healing anyone under 150% of their max health. If you can't find someone to self-damage themselves to keep this fast rate going, find a group of people to heal up to 150% over and over one at a time. This will essentially build it just as fast as a Soldier or Demoman hurting themselves for you.
Since you heal over time, you should use this advantage even when you have full HP. If the player you are healing is low on HP and/or is reloading, and there is not risk of immediate death from enemy gunfire, running in front of your buddy to take a shot or two is sometimes a good way to defend a point. This is especially effective if you have another Medic healing you while you are healing another class.
If there is any reason at all to suspect that someone is a Spy, try to go through them with your Bonesaw equipped.

Syringe gun

The Syringe Gun's arcing shots may be annoying in mid-range combat, but it does give you a few strategic advantages.

Remember to lead your targets, as the needles travel fairly slowly. This may make it harder to hit moving targets, but if you can predict the path of an enemy fairly reliably, you can get some good damage in.
You can fire over barriers and obstructions, allowing gravity to pull your needles down to hit targets that are not in your direct field of view.
If you fire at a steep enough angle, your needles can actually rain almost straight down onto targets on the other side of a wall, making it difficult for them to determine where the attack is coming from.
Although Engineers and Spies may intimidate you in a 1 on 1 fight; remember that you move faster, regenerate health, and have a high capacity, quick reloading weapon. As long as you dodge effectively you should be able to defeat them if necessary.
Despite each syringe dealing weak damage, the Syringe gun has a very fast rate of fire which can add up to a surprising amount of damage if you can get lots to hit your target.
Your Syringe Gun can prove effective against unattended sentries. Simply find some cover, and arc your shots across, allowing you to safely attack the Sentry.
If you find yourself having to retreat without an escort to back you up, the Syringe Gun works well for suppressive fire.
If you come across a firefight that is far enough above or below you that your Medigun beam can't reach your teammates, fire some syringes from long range. Your opponents will probably not notice you, and you may contribute just enough damage to give them the upper hand.
Do not underestimate the Syringe Gun, if used in a good player's hands it can be a devastating weapon, especially when you fire critical needles, which can tear an enemy's health bar in a hurry.
The Syringe Gun has a better passive heal than the Blutsauger, so dedicated healing medics are much better off wielding the Syringe Gun. If attacked while you are wielding the Syringe gun, it is better to retreat while laying down suppressive fire, instead of charging the enemy. The increased passive heal also dramatically reduces the effect of fire afterburn and coupled with the Oktoberfest taunt (assuming that you're carrying a Kritzkrieg) it could easily save your life.

Bonesaw

The Bonesaw has more frontloaded damage than the Syringe Gun, but suffers in terms of damage over time. This makes it good for getting in the first strike on a distracted opponent. It also has a higher crit rate than the Syringe Gun, giving you a better chance at a crippling hit.
The Medic's high speed often makes this weapon more likely to score kills than other melee weapons, but this is no excuse for recklessness.

Blutsauger

Whenever a projectile hits an enemy, three health is added to the Medic who fired the shot. As compensation, the passive health regeneration of the Medic is reduced by 2 HP/sec, with the end result of health regeneration at 1 HP/sec and 4 HP/sec.
With the Blutsauger regenerating your health, it makes a much better retreat weapon when your Medic Buddy has been killed than the normal Syringe Gun.
Classes that run at the normal (engineers, spies, pyros, snipers) run speed can just barely gain ground on a Medic (who runs faster than all classes other than the scout) running backwards away from a fray. This allows the Blutsauger wielding medic to spray his pursuers with blood sucking needles. So, even if he is damaged, he can outpace a chasing Pyro (for example) and recharge his health while simultaneously draining enough health from the enemy that the pursuer will either die or retreat to refill his health. The pyro will never get close enough to use his flamethrower, and if he changes to his secondary weapon, the medic can use his superior speed to dodge the shotgun blasts or flares.
If you're caught behind enemy lines without a buddy, such as when your ÜberCharge runs out, fire the Blutsauger at anyone you can see while retreating. Even if you're taking enemy fire, you may regenerate just enough health to get away safely.
If you're on fire and you don't have much life left, you can stop healing your Buddy to attack with the Blutsauger and restore some life. Be careful not to get in front of your buddy or you will take any bullet or projectile that was aimed to your buddy and you don't have much life left to survive.

Kritzkrieg

The Kritzkrieg relies a lot on how good your 'Patient' is; if he has good aim you shouldn't have any problems. Kritzkrieg ÜberCharge cannot be used on yourself, so if your patient dies it's wasted, and because it doesn't have any invulnerability like the Medigun, your patient can die if he isn't careful enough (especially from backstabs).
It should also be noted that the Kritzkrieg effects aren't nearly as obvious to the player receiving the charge as the normal ÜberCharge (with the glowing outline around the player models). This will require more dilgent communication between patient and medic.
The Kritzkrieg can prove to be a powerful combination with a soldier, it can wipe out a team in matter of seconds due to crit rockets. But the enemy team can concentrate their fire on the soldier so he can die just as quickly. It's useless against a Medigun ÜberCharge due to its invulnerability, but the Kritzkrieg charges 25% faster than the Medigun so you can use it before the enemy can, as well as more often. (Crits count as normal damage against buildings so it won't help against Sentries).
Kritzkrieg charges can also be very effective when used on a Heavy, primarily because the crits don't have the same damage falloff as regular shots. This effectively increases the heavy's useful range.
Try using your Kritzkrieg charge on a class that normally isn't very threatening. For example, the Engineer. At up to 180 damage per critical shotgun blast and 45 damage per critical pistol round, an engineer can make a lot of chaos in those 8 seconds (and with 6 shotgun shots and 12 pistol shots, he probably won't even have to reload). Better yet, give the Kritzkrieg to another Medic. The syringe gun crits at 30 damage, and with 40 rounds in the chamber, that's a potential 1200 damage in a couple seconds and top that off with a fast reload time. Alternatively you could Kritz an undisguised Spy or even a Sniper, but their smaller magazine size and basically only 1 medium range weapon can limit their effectiveness for the full duration of the charge. There is another advantage to Kritzing the less powerful characters on your team: enemy players typically see these as easy (Engineer away from his Sentry) or high value (Medic without a strong buddy) kills. So, they'll be chasing after you, even after you activate the charge. Even if they don't chase you, they surely won't be prepared for what you're about to unleash on them. That makes them an easy target.
Try attacking from either of the flanks, behind the enemy, from cover, or anywhere that the enemy is not looking at. Most enemies will be dead before they have time to redirect fire at you.
If on fire and low on health, spam the Oktoberfest, it can save your life.

Übersaw

It is especially useful for taking out Spies that may be attempting to backstab your patient.
The Übersaw has a 20% slower attack rate than the Bonesaw, but will charge up your ÜberCharge meter by 25% per each successful hit.
Notice a Scout running through your base under the effects of the Bonk! Atomic Punch energy drink? While using your Übersaw against him will not cause any damage, the Übersaw will still increase your ÜberCharge meter by 25%! Since most Scouts tend to use Bonk! Atomic Punch in range of your fellow Engineer's sentry guns, it's a safe way to build up your next charge.

Spinal Tap (taunt)

Due to its length, it (like all other taunts) is not reccomended unless used against distracted foes. If a Medic happens to run upon a heavy firing his mingun from behind, he can also easily take him out with this taunt. It can also be fun to use during humiliation, but its not the best taunt to use during this period.

Double Medic Strategy

The Double Medic Strategy is a theoretical gameplay strategy that, if executed successfully, can allow two Medics to devastate an entire enemy team by themselves. However, it is a very situational tactic, and incredibly difficult to pull off in normal play, so it is very rarely seen. The strategy requires two Medics, both with Übersaws and normal Mediguns. It will not work if even one of the two Medics uses a Bonesaw and/or a Kritzkrieg. It would also be useful to be playing on a map with set-up time, although this is not a requirement as such.

The strategy proceeds as follows: at the start of the match/during set-up time, the two Medics build up their ÜberCharges, either on each other or on any other team member. Once both of them are fully charged, one of them switches to their Übersaw, and is healed by the other Medic. They then find members of the enemy team to attack. The Medic who is currently healing then activates their ÜberCharge. The attacking Medic then tries to attack as many enemy players as possible, while still trying to leave some alive.

When the first ÜberCharge has almost run out, the attacking Medic switches to their Medigun, and the healing Medic switches to their Übersaw. The second ÜberCharge is then deployed. The Medic that is now attacking tries to kill as many enemies as possible, or at the very least land 4 hits on enemies. This will give the Medic who is currently attacking full ÜberCharge. As before, when the ÜberCharge has almost run out, the two Medics switch again, and keep going for as long as they can do so.

Communication between the two Medics is vital for this strategy to work. However, this strategy has a lot of flaws. Firstly, if at any point the healing Medic loses a lock on the attacking Medic, the strategy may fail. Secondly, if the attacking Medic is not able to land at least 4 hits on enemies, then their ÜberCharge will not be immediately full, as is necessary. This may happen due to the enemy simply running away from the attacking medic, being knocked back by sentry fire, explosives or a Pyro's compression blast and by being stunned by a scout's Sandman ball. Another way this strategy can fail, is if the two medics get split so far apart that one can't heal the other because of an explosion, a sentry, or a Pyro's compression blast. The one without that's not deploying his ÜberCharge will be vulnerable, and most likely unable to get enough hits for charging another ÜberCharge.

Two Medics Executing the Double Medic Strategy

Solo Medic Strategy

Another strategy with the Medic is the Solo Medic that, if used correctly, can devastate an ill-prepared team. The strategy requires one Medic, with Übersaw and normal Medigun equipped. The Medic ÜberCharges himself, and while being Übercharged, switches to the Übersaw (becoming vulnerable) to get hits into some enemies. The Medic then switches back to Medigun and become invulnerable again. Since every Übersaw hit adds 25% to the Übercharge meter, it stacks with the current übercharge, thus making the Medic invulnerable for a longer time. This strategy is much more difficult to pull off than the Double Medic strategy, since you're not invulnerable the whole time. Even while actively wielding the Übersaw, your Übercharge meter still drains at the same rate as when you're invunerable. The key is to learn how to switch between your medigun and Übersaw quickly to take minimal damage, and get the maximum number of hits into enemies to keep your meter up. For instance, use this strategy against Soldiers: Switch to your medigun when they shoot their rocket and hit them while they reload.

A Medic Executing the Solo Medic Strategy

Medic strategy

From TF2 Wiki

Contents

General strategy

Weapon Specific

Medigun healing

Syringe gun

Bonesaw

Blutsauger

Kritzkrieg

Übersaw

Spinal Tap (taunt)

Double Medic Strategy

Solo Medic Strategy

See also

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