Medic (Highlander)

The Medic is generally considered the most unique and one of the most important classes in Team Fortress 2. His ability to negate damage with his healing and usage of the ÜberCharge mechanic make him the core part of the team and led the development of the metagame based around ÜberCharges, pushing, holding and defending points.

Gameplay

In all gamemodes, the Medic's main job is to keep his team in shape, by healing hurt teammates, allowing them to rejoin the fight and turn the tides of the battle in their favour. Usually, the Medic will prioritize some classes over others. The privileged classes are commonly referred to as the combo, which consists of the Heavy, the Demoman, and the Pyro. As for the other classes, some will sometimes receive just an overheal (such as the Scout), and some are required not to be healed at all (such as the Soldier or the Spy).

On maps without set-up time (such as King of the Hill or 5CP maps), in the beginning of each round the Medic will give the Demoman an overheal, to enable him to rollout to the middle point. After that, he will give overheals to all players, and in the end, just before arriving on the point, will give a full overheal to the Heavy, bringing him to 450 HP.

On maps with set-up time, the gameplay varies, depending on which side the Medic is on. In both cases, during set-up time, the Medic will prepare an ÜberCharge, that will be used later during a round. On attack, the Medic sometimes waits in spawn, not to risk losing (dropping) the Über by dying, while the team goes out without him, trying to get an important kill or force the enemy Medic to activate his Über, so that the attacking Über's importance rises.

ÜberCharge

Main article: ÜberCharge

The ÜberCharge is one of the most important mechanics in the game. Often, the Über percentage will be the deciding factor in whether or not to push or hold a point. Über advantages don't play that important role in Highlander as they do in 6v6, but tracking the enemy Über is a good and useful trait, separating average Medics from good Medics.

Positioning

It is very important that the Medic positions himself in a way that would make it harder to catch him out. Each map has its established holding points, which are the most beneficial for a Medic. Many of them are easy to escape from but hard to get into, and not in a direct line of sight from any possible Sniper locations.

Another key aspect of playing Medic on defense is knowing when to stay in, and when to back out. If the Medic stays in an unfavourable engagement and ends up dying with the rest of the team, not only will the team lose the currently defended point, but most likely lose the next one, as the Medic will not have the ÜberCharge, and the enemy team will most likely position itself in a way that would deny the defenders from trying to retake control of the point.

Unlockable weapons

Some of the Medic's weapons present very interesting aspects of gameplay, and can be used to execute different strategies.

Primary weapons

• Overdose - Often preferred over the Syringe Gun despite its slightly lower damage output because of its speed boost dependent on the Medic's ÜberCharge percentage. The loss of damage is often negligible, and the upside of the increased movement speed will often enable the Medic to get out of a close-call situation.
• Crusader's Crossbow - Most Medics' go-to primary weapon. The Crusader's Crossbow can heal the Medic's teammates by hitting them with the crossbow bolts, as can it damage the opponents. The Crossbow has the biggest possible amount of hit points healed per second in the game, and a successful hit on a teammate can easily change the outcome of a 1v1 battle. The damage and healing abide to the principle of reverse falloff - the farther the Medic is his teammate or opponent, the more hitpoints will he heal or take away from them.
• Blutsauger - Rarely used; its health on hit benefit is negligible compared to the lowered survivability of the Medic because of his weakened health regeneration.

Secondary weapons

• Kritzkrieg - The Kritzkrieg is an interesting alternative to the Medi Gun. As the Kritzkrieg charges 25% faster than the Medi Gun, the Kritzkrieg can be used to maintain an Über advantage by getting the Kritz before the enemy Medic gets Über, killing him, and recharging the Kritzkrieg. It can also be used as a high-risk, high-reward surprise play to kill the enemy Medic, who has Über.
• Vaccinator - Not used in any kind of serious play.
• Quick Fix - With the new update, the quick fix is now a more viable competitive option. It is mainly used as a defensive tool and a counter to ubercharges, as it charges 40% faster than the standard Ubercharge rate. It is mainly used when a medic is killed and the enemy team is known to have a significant uber advantage. It can also be used to complete wacky soldier or demoman bombs on the enemy medic, due to its nullification of knockback.

Melee weapons

• Übersaw - Run by most competitive Medics, the Übersaw grants the Medic an ability to add 25% to the Über percentage by hitting an enemy player. This ability often grants the Medic an escape possibility, if he succeeds in hitting the chasing enemy and getting the Über that way.
• Amputator - Rarely used; It enables a healing area effect, which allows to keep multiple teammates alive; it leaves the Medic very exposed though, as it requires for him to taunt.
• Solemn Vow - Often named as a "direct upgrade" to the Bonesaw, the Solemn Vow allows you to see the opponents' health. Its upside is negated mainly by the usage of communication to call out weak targets.