Of all the changes in gameplay compare to Team Fortress 1 Medic is perhaps the most dramatic one. "We will not have grenades in this game" was the other one. It is by far the most influential class in the game.

As a Medic your decisions will have the most long lasting tactical consequences (nobody plan in a 40 seconds horison except you and the Almighty). You will decide who will live, who will lead the attack and who will win the game. However you will ultimately depend on your teammates.

I see a lot of medics with good scoreboards while the team lose. I ask them - Why don't you heal the people on the frontline? The answer is always - f**k off I build my Uber (as far away from action as possible) because I'm a scared girl reasons.

This is not the way to play! Remember a good scoreboard is fun for you, but there's no fun in losing for the team. So if you want to be a Medic on the winning team, rather than a Medic with the highest score this guide is for you!

Paramedic is a healthcare professional who works in emergency medical situations. Namely in the front of battle.

But why should I risk my precious Uber charge, you ask? Well... let me tell you something. First thing, this game is about fun. And fun is where the action is. Second it's really the best place to build Uber because there are a lot of sick patients. Third it's much more secure in the middle of your team (yes, you heard me right). The Spy will have greater difficulty in trying to stab you in the middle of a squad. A Soldier or Demo behind the lines will not kill you. And when that Uber is finally charged you have zero delay for using it. You are in the middle of fun, see?

Seriously though, it's very dangerous out there and it takes real skill and intuition to survive. But wait. What's the ultimate advantage of being in the frontlines? Answer me, private! I don't hear you? What?! It's "The Morale... Sir!". Correct!

By correctly positioning yourself on the battlefield you will be able to advance your team towards the enemy. Remember, this game is all about close and medium range combat, ultimate map control and precice timing. A couple of steps in the right direction can make all the difference. And your team will usually flock towards the Medic and (hopefully) stand between you and the enemy.

Medic is surprisingly good at melee combat. First nobody expects you to switch that saw and run towards them. Second you are the second fastest class in the game and can reduce the distance very quickly. And best of all you get 25% more juice right away. I see enemy spy as a 50% Uber booster.

Originally posted by Dr. Egon Spengler:

Don't cross the streams. It would be bad.

So here we are on the battlefield. People screaming for mama help, comrades dying pointlessly trying to take out a sentry. What do you do first?

Triage is the process of determining the priority of patients' treatments based on the severity of their condition.

The general rule is if you advance you overheal one target. Heavy or Soldier is good.

If you hold position then Medic, Demo, Soldier, Engi, Sniper, Pyro, Scout, Heavy in that order. Heal Spy only when requested (and after you have been through his guts with a saw), or you may blow his cover.

Learn to quickly switch targets. Always keep looking for critical patients (don't use that call medic thing). It's a game of numbers, not a game of favourites. You can push with a Heavy, then give Kritz to a Demo, that way everyone utilisation is at maximum (also you get two people defending you).

If you push on a sentry, or deny enemy Uber use single target. If you push against enemy personnel share Uber with two spam classes, that way you can deal more initial damage. Never share Kritz unless your pocket is already dead.

Always keep on your toes. You should always keep running in random directions. This makes the job harded for enemy Sniper and Spy. Also you keep practicing for melee combat that way. If you keep running randomly it's harder to hit you.

Don't work too close with a fellow Medic. First you will quickly run out of material. Second two medics are an easy target.

Lead your team towards the objective. As a Medic you have the opportunity to see the Big Picture. By choosing the correct Uber/Kritz and the correct target you will control how your team achieves the objectives.

I will not repeat here all the things you learned in medical school, like how an Uber builds, how heal works over time or how you use a saw on all 206 bones in a human body.

To the right you see a classic painting from Team Fortress (drawn with genuin 29 colors available from your local Mann Co. Store). A Heavy giving the enemy team a physical. See who's on top here? Exactly.

Lets talk priorities. First come objectives (cap points, get intell). Objectives can be achieved through dead enemies. And dead enemies can sometimes result through healthy teammates. Always priorities towards classes that achieve the objective at the time. Now let's put this in a form of a picture.

Medi Gun is still the No.1 choice of a professional here. It is the hardest to master. But it allows you to ultimately achieve the objective. Push on a trenched enemy, counter enemy Uber or Kritz etc. Here the Medi Gun shines. It is the weapon with ultimate utility. However it has the most limitations. If the enemy see you, they have plenty of time to run away. You should save it untill the point of no return and then use it, or you just blow 40 seconds of your entire team time.

Kritzkrieg is the second best choice because it allows to achieve objectives through lots of dead enemies at the same time. You see, if you keep killing them one by one, they keep respawning (full health, full ammo, closer to the objective). But you can always blow a Kritz just to take some random shots at the enemy. So it's a lot more versatile, than the Uber.

The Vacinator is like counter to Kritz. It is versatile, because of many things you can do with it. At the same time its utility is greatly reduced. The Quick-Fix is the most versatile of tools when it comes to medicine, but at the same time its like it's not there. The Vacinator and Quick-Fix is seldom used in competitive TF because they lack utility.

Medic is perhaps the main reason I started to play this game (back in Beta). Still keep my vintage saw all 39. The Medic is a unique game mechanics that gives Team Fortress 2 its team spirit.

You should also check my other guide on Heavy because he's the main reason (at least the largest one) you play as a Medic.

Buy a microphone. Of all the people who should talk in TF Medic is the only one.

For a tutorial on Meatball surgery check out M*A*S*H TV series. It's hilarious.

So go on the frontline and lead your team to victory, while still saving some worthless lives in the process!