You heard it here folks. Someone sucks as a medic.
Actually there are only a hand full of GOOD medics. Okay I'm exaggerating, but there is a lot more to being a good medic than some would think. It's a fun class to play if you get a sense of all that you need to do and actually attempt to do it. Kind of a frantic and urgent existence, that of a medic.
1. Keep everyone around you buffed when they're not taking damage. Requires looking backwards often.
2. Watch for spies, pyros, and pretty much everything. Announce them to your team.
3. In battle make sure you're not in enemy fire, aren't being flanked by a scout, and you aren't neglecting hurt allies.
4. Heal people accordingly. Don't spend 3 seconds casually healing a sniper near a small health pack when there's a blood-drenched demoman screaming for Odin to send him to Valhalla when he falls while desperately flinging grenades everywhere (i.e. calling for a medic at critical health). Priority usually goes like this:
Top: Critically injured players that can otherwise survive if you intervene. Saving a single life often means saving MANY lives.
Top: Heavies who are suppressing the enemy for time/distraction. People will shoot at them for the hell of it. The longer they can stand there shooting, the longer the distraction. Make sure your fat buddy doesn't take TOO long to relocate or he'll have a giant hole/arrow/knife in his head.
Top: Other medics. This is important, medics who don't heal/keep each other buffed in combat are practically cutting their usefulness in half.High: Engineers. If they die, their buildings will usually follow suit. Sometimes I even take it as far as ubering them while they tank so that the sentry lives. This is not a wasted uber by any means, if the engineer lives then the sentry will probably live as well, and the rest of your team will come riding in at any second (hopefully). If the sentry dies, too bad so sad, at least the engineer is still alive! He can set another one up quickly.
Middle: Injured players who are not taking constant fire. Get them back in the game, but only if you can spare the time!
Middle: Unbuffed players. Keep an eye out for passer byers who need a quick buff as they run through, it could save them from an ambush. Always try to keep people who are fighting around you buffed. Remember, you heal and buff MUCH faster when a player has not recently taken damage. Pay attention to who just got hit by the rocket and who didn't, you can fill somebody up within seconds and get back to that crazy soldier before he blows himself up if you heal in the correct order.
Middle: Spies, scouts, snipers. These three often resort to health packs due to being more.. behind the scenes/mobile. But if they're near you, do them a favor and save them the trouble. They're usually easy to heal. That early headshot, flank, or stab thanks to your help could save your team.
Low: Players (esp heavies) who make no effort to retreat from overwhelming situations. They're going to die regardless of what you do, if there are not many people around then you can probably spend time building an uber on them.. but don't take that job too seriously. These kind of decisions often determine your own fate. If you get too focused on keeping them alive then you're likely to follow them into death.
Low: Doomed players. Similar to the above, however this category can cover almost anyone. If you're healing a good soldier who's blasting away at hordes of enemies alone, and suddenly he gets head shot for half his health, AND he runs out of rockets, all while three mad pyros are rushing forward, you need to get your ass to safety. That uber is your baby. It cannot die, teammates will understand. I know, I know, sometimes it's difficult to break off that healing beam and retreat from the action, but it's a good skill to master.4. Stay ALIVE. Monitor your vital signs. Always always always! I already ranted about this but.. it's just that important. Constantly glance at your health. Is it midway down? That means you need to get a health pack or a dispenser. Is it red? You need to run for dear life or pop your uber, chances are you're going to explode from a stray grenade if you chance it. Is it sort of low but not terribly low? Grab that nearby medpack as you run by just to stay healthy.
The healthier you are, the healthier your team is. Use the
regular needle gun when you're, say, on a payload map defending the very last point. Use the Blutsauger when you're on offense and you're trying to cap the second point. The regular needle gun will let you shrug off minor injuries more quickly, and the Blutsauger will let you escape desperate situations with more ease. A pyro chasing you is DOOMED if you run backwards while firing this thing. If he's too close and he's actually burning your face off faster than you can poke HIS off, strafe around while firing needles accordingly. Hopefully you know how to aim correctly and you survive.
5. When alone be extra observant. Especially if you have a semi or fully built uber. Do not leave anything to chance, ever, unless that's what the situation calls for.
6. Uber often in pubs and only when needed with team players. In large pubs the game is basically like two large walruses head butting eachother until one of them passes out and dies. In team play games it's all about knowing when to push and when not to push, executing carefully planned attacks, and using teamwork to help each other survive.
Okay I'm done. Maybe.