The conveniently named Medic is the only class in Team Fortress 2 that can heal. Though the Engineer provides a Dispenser which heals and refills ammo, the Medic is the more reliable healing source. Being a Medic is tough. Not only does he ensure his team’s survivability, but he also has to evade getting killed himself. As a priority target, keeping alive as a Medic is harder than keeping alive as any other class.

But with the high risk that comes with playing Medic comes a very high reward. With a good Medic, the team would always be victorious in the exchange of gunfire. As the sole class that heals, the team’s success is in the Medic’s hands; and the only way it could slip off is if he would make some very drastic mistakes.

10 Getting Too Close to the Healing Target

Medics have a great healing range. His Medi Gun has a further reach than the Pyro’s Flamethrower. A good Medic should maximize the range of his Medi Gun by keeping as far away from his healing target as possible. This is so that the Medic avoids taking any splash damage his target is under.

Staying too close to the healing target localizes the area in which both the Medic and the Patient can be taken out. In spreading out, the Medic and the Patient would have to be taken out separately making it harder to eliminate the Pocket Duo.

9 Healing Only One Person

Some Medics tend to focus on only one person at a time even in the heat of battle. Their eyes fixate on the health of only one of their teammates; preventing it from even going red. This tunnel vision disregards the health of the other teammates and builds UberCharge much slower.

A proper Medic spontaneously switches between all teammates, keeping their health up. In set-up time, a Medic should have all members of his team overhealed for maximum survivability; and in the same manner, keep them all from the red health zone. Doing so builds UberCharge faster because of the number of low health players he’d be refilling.

8 Healing Someone Already Being Healed

Multiple healers do not stack. The healing rate of a Patient is not doubled with two Medics. If a Heavy is being healed by a dispenser, or already being pocketed by another Medic, do not heal him too. A proper Medic will acknowledge that a teammate under the effects of a healing source is already taken care of, and will proceed to heal other teammates.

This will build UberCharge slower than if the Medic would prioritize the other injured teammates. If there is more than one Medic on a team, they should check each other and exchange heals for better team survivability. No two Medics should be healing the same person.

7 Not Moving a Lot

As a high-value target, Snipers would try to get a sight of the Medic if they can. Medics should always be moving. They should strafe and constantly jump to keep their movements unpredictable. It is harder for Snipers to kill moving Medics than stationary ones.

The same applies to Spies attempting to backstab the Medic. In addition, when the enemy starts firing at the Medic, a mid-air Medic would be knocked away by the damage doled out by the opposing team, allowing for a quick getaway.

6 Using the Primary More than the Medi Gun

The Medic’s damage output is not bad, but primarily, he should be doing more heal than hurt. A Medic is more effective in healing his team than doing the damage himself. In sustaining his team, he also sustains the damage output of his team.

A team will collectively dole out more damage with the Medic staying on his Medi Gun than if he was primarily running around with the Syringe Gun. Occasionally, a Medic can switch to his primary to finish off enemies but should always prioritize keeping his team alive .

5 Not Maximizing the Crusader’s Crossbow

The Crossbow can both heal and hurt just like Ana’s Biotic Rifle from Overwatch. But, because of the insane damage it does, along with the accuracy it requires, a lot of Medics use it as a long-ranged weapon; reserving the Medi Gun for the healing. The Crossbow should be used in conjunction with the Medi Gun with regards to healing.

It can heal up to 150 HP in an instant. When a Heavy is in the red health zone, it is quicker to shoot him once with the Crossbow, and then Medi Gun him up; than to primarily Medi Gun him all the way up.

4 Not Trying the Other Medi Guns

There is no One-Does-All Medi Gun for the Medic. The Medic has a variety of situational Medi Guns that provide different healing effects and boosts. The default stock Medi Gun makes the Medic and the Patient invulnerable for a duration, the Kritzkrieg triples the normal damage output of the patient, the Quick-Fix immunizes from knockback, and the Vaccinator gives quick mini UberCharges.

A good Medic realizes the strengths of each and uses them accordingly depending on the situation. A quick note to remember is that Sentries are immune to critical damage.

3 Running Away when Overwhelmed

If a Medic is caught too deep in enemy lines and he can’t run to his team, there’s no use in trying to prolong the inevitable. When outnumbered, the Medic’s lack of damage output doesn’t give him the ability to win a 3v1. Though the obvious choice is to run away, the best choice is to actually fight back.

Heading into danger will kill the Medic sooner, allowing him to respawn immediately to aid his team. Pull out the Ubersaw, get some hits into the enemy, and it can go two ways. 1) The Medic can kill an enemy or two, taking some people with him to the grave, or 2) He can build-up UberCharge, make himself invulnerable, and escape to his team.

2 Overcommitting to a Melee Kill

A Medic’s survival is important. The Ubersaw is a melee weapon that encourages Medics to melee enemies since it builds UberCharge in doing so. A lot of Medics take it upon themselves to pull out their Ubersaw to eliminate full-health enemy Soldiers or hunt down the Spy that’s been bothering his team.

The problem is that no matter how much UberCharge the Medic has built from hitting enemies, if he’s dead, that UberCharge goes back down to zero. This over-commitment to a melee kill will result in the Medic constantly dying. A dead Medic is the last thing a team wants.

1 Not Playing the Class

It’s a fact that Medic doesn’t get all the kills. Players would rather be fragging cool plays and getting clean headshots than anything else. But, every team composition needs a Medic like an Overwatch Dive Composition needs a Reinhardt.

Even when players do play as the Medic, they would figure out that he’s harder to play than they thought, and would immediately switch back to Spy. Being a high-value target is not easy, but winning as a team without a Medic is not any easier.

NEXT: 10 Mistakes That All Healers Make In Overwatch