ÜberCharge

From TF2 Wiki

A BLU Medic uses his ÜberCharge on a Heavy.

ÜberCharge is an ability of the Medic class. The ÜberCharge is built up by focusing the beam of the Medic's Medigun onto another friendly player, ideally a Medic buddy.

A bar on the HUD, where the ammo icon usually appears, shows how much ÜberCharge is available. Once the bar is 100% full, the Medic has the ability to activate the ÜberCharge, granting the Medic and his target invincibility for 10 seconds. This effect will cause the two players to glow their team color. When looking at a friendly Medic, a colored box shows up on the HUD displaying the username of the Medic, along with the percent of his ÜberCharge.

Note that while the players are immune to damage, they are still affected from the concussive force of weapons such as the Sentry gun and Rocket launcher. This can be useful for breaking an ÜberCharge, because if the Medic is separated from his teammate, the teammate's ÜberCharge will be deactivated. Also, it is worth noting that it is possible for the Medic to ÜberCharge several teammates at once, due to the ÜberCharge remaining active briefly after a medic stops healing one teammate and starts healing another (this will drain the ÜberCharge meter much faster).

A skilled Spy can trick an enemy Medic into ÜberCharging them while they are Disguised, wasting the charge and allowing him to wreak havoc on the enemy team for its duration.

Switching weapons from the Medigun to another will continue to drain the ÜberCharge.

Charging the ÜberCharge

The ÜberCharge meter fills at different rates depending on the condition of the Medic's heal target.

• The meter fills at 2.5% / second when the Medic...
  • Heals any teammate during Setup (even one at max health and buff).
  • Heals injured players in the field.
  • Buffs players beyond the normal health maximum.
• The meter fills at 1.2% / second when the Medic heals an uninjured player who is already buffed outside of Setup time.

In general, buffing teammates and healing the injured builds the ÜberCharge meter twice as fast as healing one player exclusively. A way to build up charge faster without healing injured teammates is to buff teammates, let the buff wear off, and then heal them again. Also, a Medic who has done all 36 of the Medic achievements and has the Übersaw can charge their ÜberCharge at a rate of 25% per hit on an enemy.

Using the ÜberCharge

If you run out of ammo while you are ÜberCharged, you can deal out more damage by switching weapons rather than reloading

• Delay using the ÜberCharge until the last possible moment, try to wait until your Buddy or yourself have recieved damage before activating the charge. The longer you wait, the better, but don't die.

• You will continue to heal your Buddy and your health will continue to regenerate while you ÜberCharge.

• ÜberCharged players cannot capture control points or hold intelligence or flags. ÜberCharging while healing an intelligence (flag) holder only ÜberCharges the Medic.

• Knock back is your greatest opponent, so let the Medic go first and draw Sentry gun fire. Both the Heavy and the Pyro are more effective close up against Sentry guns.

• Follow the ÜberCharged pair using them as a moving shield. If you follow them onto a control point, you will start capturing it.

• ÜberCharged pairs attract a lot of fire even while charged, as people want to take them down as soon as the charge dissipates. Use this distraction to move onto control points or take out enemies as they look elsewhere.

• If, in response to your ÜberCharge, the opposition activate their own, try to ignore them. Invariably, they've activated in response to your own, so concentrate on removing sentry guns, not ÜberCharged enemies.

• You can use your Medi-Gun to ÜberCharge multiple players at one time by rapidly switching between healing-targets. However, your ÜberCharge meter will drain much more quickly if you switch healing-targets to more than one individual while ÜberCharging due to a recent update. It is unconfirmed whether the drain speed multiplier has a cap. However, testing shows that having three active ÜberCharge targets will drain the charge meter in four seconds.

Defense Against ÜberCharge

• The best defense against an ÜberCharge is another ÜberCharge. At least one defending Medic should build an ÜberCharge and save it for when attackers come in with one of theirs. An ÜberCharged pair can body-block another ÜberCharged pair (stand in their way) to waste their ÜberCharge time, then finish them off afterward.

• There are a few ways to combat an ÜberCharged pair because, although you cannot hurt them, they can still be knocked back by Sentry guns, rockets, and either of the Demoman's weapons. Just target the Medic to launch him away from his teammate, and once he has been blasted far enough away, the ÜberCharge will be interrupted on the teammate.

• Demomen make the best counters to ÜberCharge. As soon as you see or hear the pair coming, lay a string of Sticky bombs on the ground and wait until the first half of an ÜberCharged pair steps on it, then detonate, sending him flying into the air. Another strategy is to detonate just before the second half crosses it, hoping to send them flying in opposite directions. A third strategy is to try to blast them into a corner where they will be disoriented and waste their uber time regrouping. A fourth strategy is to knock them off bridges or ledges if one is along their path. Note that sticky bombs on walls and ceilings do not affect an ÜberCharged pair, they must be on the ground -- and you need at least two for a noticeable effect.

• Soldiers can bounce an ÜberCharged pair around by firing rockets into their feet. Try to push them into corners or off ledges.

• Pyros can run up behind them and stay just behind them while keeping flames in their faces, hoping to confuse them and spoil their aim while not getting hit too badly. This can work if they are not focused on you. Once the ÜberCharge runs out, roast the Medic and then his buddy.

• The most common target for an ÜberCharged pair is a sentry gun. The engineer has two choices: hide behind his gun and frantically whack it with his wrench hoping to repair it faster than it gets destroyed, or flee and be ready to rebuild as soon as possible. If the ÜberCharged pair includes a Heavy, and they are not too close or the ÜberCharge is almost done, the engineer can probably survive if he stays protected behind his gun and has a dispenser behind him to keep healing him and supply him with metal. If they get close, however, it is better to flee. If the ÜberCharged pair includes a Pyro and he gets close, the engineer will certainly die, and the gun a few seconds later if the Pyro has enough ÜberCharge time left. Consider fleeing if they get close. If ÜberCharged pair includes a Demoman, the engineer should stay if the Demoman is firing regular grenades. He may die but he will probably keep his gun alive long enough to survive the ÜberCharge. However if the Demoman gets four sticky bombs under the sentry, the situation is hopeless. The engineer will die along with everything around him. The engineer should flee as soon as the third sticky bomb lands.

• You can also try to slow an ÜberCharged pair down by body-blocking them (standing in their way). Chances are you will die quickly, but your sacrifice could cost them one or two seconds of precious uber time, especially if they are not focused on you. If you keep moving, and/or if you manage to block the Medic and separate him from his buddy, you may even survive.