In BF1 I was a medic and was pretty content with the class. I had a nice range of weapons to choose from that allowed me to find a play style that worked for me. When I moved to BF5, I found no real options in Medic weapons as they are all short range machine guns where I was used to a self loading rifle. I gave up playng medic and found greater survivability with the other classes.
I heard that the Medic SMG is going to get a redo and potential buff, but are they going to offer Medics an alternative choice to the SMG? Will Medics get access to the M1 Garand as an example?
I’m calling it now, the buff that is coming for medic weapons will make the medics go from being weak to full blown OP. Count on it. Instead of buffing the Medic existing weapons they should just give them a decent self loading such as the M1A1 or similar.
I dont understand why they dont have two choices like the other classes. Support can pick between light machine guns and shotguns. Assualt class can pick between semi auto rifles and assault rifles. It makes no sense that the Medic didn’t get a rifle option.
I also dont think the M1A1 to the Medics will change the power balance any considering they have no explosives, and they have cool down timers on self healing. I think giving them some form of rifle would make the class playable.
I never got why medics got long-ranged rifles in BF1. Medics are supposed to be in the heat of the battle, going from hot spot to hot spot, mowing down any threat that pops up right in front of them. Not engaging enemies at long ranges.
However, I’m not a fan of class limits. Imho if an assault wants to snipe, or a scout wants a shotgun, why not? At least opening up some weapons to all classes would be an improvement.
I tried to play medic and BF5 and found that because the assualt guys and support guys tend to fight in medium range, the only way I could be productive in damage is to get closer to the enemgy than they are. That makes me the main target. I view the medic as being as close to the assualt guys as they can be. It’s really hard to revive when I have to turn my back on enemies to run back to heal because I was closest because of my weapon. I just don’t see the logic in it when the Medic should be right next to the assualt guy fighting at medium range.
I think the entire point of having one class limited to more CQB play was to help drive objective play and speed the progress of the game. If medics get weapons like semi-auto rifles several things will happen. The most obvious effect of this would be more people playing medic. This will cause the pace of the game to slow at least somewhat as people advance more slowly. People will advance more slowly because shootouts will last longer with medics hanging back more engaging people from the sweet spot ranges of the semi auto rifles. This will also make other players more likely to hang back with the medics near by for heals, and heals will become key as you can survive mid range firefights many times by taking cover. The major limiting factor to survival at longer range combat at this point being limit health regen ability. Now several things could be done to help address this problem. Adding a cool down time to self heals would be one option, and another option would be to bring back the ammo attrition setup that was present in early beta. The second option I really like as it would make support important from a teamplay perspective in the way medics are now.
I dont know if it would slow down or not, and maybe it would be a good thing. Fixing the medic class would have less players playing support and assualt for medics and gone would be their exposives. Tanks would last longer with less assualt players. Fortifications in buildings might actually be worth something since every player with a bazooka just blews up the building, but those explosives would be gone. I think I see some players still at a distance now so they can squad revive which is harder if you just charge in. I’m not sure it would change things much because in my case, I would go from assualt with a rifle to a medic with a rilfe and give up demolition for band aids. I still wouldn’t blindy charge flags and I’d still use cover.
the entire argument for or against medics getting mid-range weapons that can compete against the assault is just a joke at this point…
Lets face it medic is an unpopular class and it will most likely never pick up pace in BFV for many reasons.
SMGs are boring and unispired
reviving is a chore
other classes are just better at what they do then any medic. sure its nice to have a medic with you when assaulting an objective but is it really mandatory to have in a squad? since Squadmates can revive each other anyways a squad of assaults and supports is just way more effective and self-sufficient if they PTFO and top their bandages off on the objectives. scouts for that matter suffer the same fate as the medic
Any SMG with a slower ROF will be out DPSed by any other weapon and sure their hip-fire might be better but if the other guy can dump 20 bullets down range faster then you does it really matter?
SMGs are the most restrictive and situational guns in the game.
The gadgets are boring and smoke and bandages is a must so the rest is hardly ever used.
Everyother class fights best in mid-range
maps are too open on their sightlines (panzerstorm/hamada/twisted-Steel just to name the most obvious)
if self healing is as powerful as ppl make it out to be we should see only medics or way more on maps like Fjell since the assaults gadgets would be neglect-able since their are no tanks but you dont because the ARs/semi-autos are just objectively better
rushing on objectives makes you the easiest target for ppl camping or abusing the visibility while being prone in corpses or muddy areas.
The list could go on but i think i get my point across. The Buff thats coming will not address the underlining issues and it will most likely be neglect able at best in terms of changes.
Medics are meant to be behind the frontline, giving your healers and revivers weapons that are meant to “kick in the door” so to speak is insanely stupid. Having your reviver and healer be the first one in usually leads to the medic being the first one killed meaning they are unable to revive and heal teammates. Medics should be picking off targets so they can move up and heal, so they can keep an eye on the health of teammates and throw medpacks. Giving medics slow firing smgs for more cqb maps would be fine, but it shouldn’t be their primary weapon. DICE has said a new weapon class is coming to medics but we really don’t know when this is going to happen.
Again this goes both ways, sometimes you can’t always sit back and pick people off to get a safe revive. Reviving often requires running up into an area where enemies are likely present so in that sense if a medic is actually doing their job they need something good up close. In BF1 I hated having SLR cause when Assault/Support players got killed up close you’d have to fight the killer up close and personal to secure the area for a revive. Not something you wanna do with a Sebby 1916. Thank god for the federov/M1907 Sweeper.
Again this goes both ways, sometimes you can’t always sit back and pick people off to get a safe revive. Reviving often requires running up into an area where enemies are likely present so in that sense if a medic is actually doing their job they need something good up close. In BF1 I hated having SLR cause when Assault/Support players got killed up close you’d have to fight the killer up close and personal to secure the area for a revive. Not something you wanna do with a Sebby 1916. Thank god for the federov/M1907 Sweeper. [/quote]
I had a different experience in BF1. I stayed close to the assualt guys and when they dropped, I would smoke the area, fire off what was left in my rifle while moving in for the revive. Then I would equip my pistol if close. Sometimes they would try and move up into my smoke but that was why I fired into the smoke first. I was always out there getting killed while reviving and I loved the thrill and challenge to revive in combat. I don’t enjoy it now because I dont feel like I can use an SMG to fight back.
That is why I would have balanced the game and give medics the slow firing smgs to go with the DMRs, assault would have been given the assault rifles and fast firing smgs. I think this is how it was originally going to be balanced IMO.
I think the accuracy at range buff should help them somewhat in terms of giving them more reach, but they do still feel slightly too weak in CQC against assault rifles, which I don’t think should be the case. Hip fire should also be improved slightly IMO (maybe. To be fair, I normally pick the other branch on the spec trees, so that might make them good enough).
However, I still think they should get some more specialised ranged weapons - something that plays like, or is, the Commando Carbine seen in the Under No Flag and Nordlys war stories, and other DMRs/SLRs. Perhaps the Medic will end up with the Carbine weapon class that’s been found in the files? I also have a suspicion that at some point we’ll see some cross-class weapons as in the menu the weapons tell you which class they are usable on, which suggests that they could at some point be available on more than one class.