Long War Class Builds - Medic
Do I really need a Medic? The real question is do I need someone to drop smoke.
Is there a less glamorous role than Medic? I don’t think so. This soldier only matters when things go wrong, and sometimes things wouldn’t have gone wrong if the Medic had been replaced with a better combat soldier. Its tempting to leave them out of your squads because of their weak offensive abilities. The Medic is not a great shooter, and can only acquire multiple shots via overwatch perks. But the Medic does excel at one role, and it isn’t healing. This class should be called the Smoker as that is what they will be doing the most, and they are great at it. Every smoke skill that is available to the Engineer, is also available to the Medic. When things go wrong, and they will, the Medic will be there to give all your soldiers a much better chance of surviving. This is still only a modest role for a soldier, so it is important to give them something else to do. The Medic can take Suppression and play backup to the Gunner, or instead take Steadfast which will make them excellent officers or psionics.
Steadfast
Smoke & Mirrors
Smoke Grenade
Dense Smoke
Bombard
Packmaster
Steadfast
This is a great ability. Panic can cause a squad wipe, and Steadfast will help prevent that. The + 5 will from this ability is a great reason to make Medics into either officers or psionics.
Alternatives: Suppression or Field Surgeon
Suppression is a great secondary role for this low offense soldier. Much later the Medic can get Lock N’ Load which pairs extremely well with Suppression, but that is at GSGT, so for most of the campaign the Medic can only be a back up Suppressor.
Field Surgeon is not very good. This may save a bit of recovery time, but better skills may have prevented the wound from occurring.
Smoke & Mirrors
This is the first of the smoke skills, and the best path, in my opinion. I go Smoke on all my Medics, allowing them to carry 4 dense smoke grenades using a single inventory slot, for most of the campaign. You can get the same defense from Telekinetic Fields, but by the time that is available, the campaign should almost be over. The Shadow Device offers even better defense, but it is single use, so Dense Smoke remains meaningful during long missions, or prolonged encounters. You can also get Dense Smoke from Engineers, but if you want your squad to have dense smoke, as well as grenades, chem grenades, battle scanners, a medikit, and maybe flashbangs or an arc thrower, you will need 2 soldiers dedicated to gear. Though it can be done with 2 Engineers, it is more optimal to split the job equally between an Engineer and a Medic as that will give each soldier better specialization.
Alternatives: Rapid Reaction or Revive
Rapid Reaction is the first of the overwatch skills, which form an alternate path at CPL through TSGT ranks. This path is very good, but not great. With the full overwatch skill set the Medic will become a powerful overwatcher, with the potential to shoot multiple times in consecutive turns. But overwatching is not as effective in Long War, as it is in other versions of XCOM, because of concurrent overwatch fire, and enemies moving backwards during activation. In all versions of XCOM, including Long War, overwatch shots are not as valuable as directed shots, because they lack control, and can be diverted to less important targets, or to targets that are harder to hit. Overwatch shots are not even guaranteed to occur. When they do occur, most commonly during activation, it is likely that the enemy pod will be sufficiently softened up by overwatch fire from the entire squad, and they can be dispatched easily on the following turn. Setting aside the limitations of overwatch fire, the Medic uses the weakest weapon class and lacks bonus damage skills, bonus aim skills, and squadsight. It is better to develop other classes into shooters.
Revive is an okay skill that you should not take. You can finish the mission down a soldier most of the time. If you are losing soldiers at the start of long missions, there is likely some other aspect of your game that requires attention.
Smoke Grenade
Smoke Grenade is the second smoke path skill, and again a great choice.
Alternatives: Ready for Anything or Paramedic
Ready for Anything is the second overwatch path skill, and again vey good.
Paramedic is not great. Usually you can wait for the fight to end, and heal soldiers afterwards. This skill will only be helpful during prolonged engagements, and when your Medic is able to reach the wounded soldier. I think the smoke skill path is more likely to save lives in these situations.
Dense Smoke
Dense smoke is one of two options for the Smoker, and the one I prefer. +40 Defense will make it near impossible for the enemy to hit any soldiers in cover, and perhaps more importantly it will provide solid cover for your squad if they get caught out in the open when raiding a transport UFO, and for your MECs that otherwise would only have their innate defense to protect them.
Alternatives: Opportunist or Combat Drugs
Opportunist is the third overwatch path skill, and again very good.
Combat Drugs is a worthy choice, especially if your squad is heavy on crit builds, or you are planning to stack will to boost your psionic abilities. Bonus will is also a great defense for your whole squad against Ethereals as their damage is proportional to the will differential between themselves and the target.
Bombard
Bombard will allow the Medic to use chem grenades and flashbangs more effectively, which is good. It can also help get smoke where its needed on the rare occasion that your squad is spread out. It will certainly help on captures and against Berserkers, Muton Elites and Heavy Floaters. But even with Bombard the Medic cannot drop a chem grenade on an overwatching Sectopod at the edge of visibility range. For that, you will need an Engineer with Bombard, as they have an additional 20% to their range bestowed by their initial class ability.
Alternatives: Lock N’ Load or Sprinter
Lock N’ Load is the right pick if you chose Suppression at LCPL rank, or the overwatch skill path. Otherwise it is just okay.
Sprinter is an okay skill when equipping a rifle, as it will occasionally grant the Medic a flank, but because the Medic is not a great shooter, this is not a great advantage. On the other hand, if you like to give your medic a shotgun, Sprinter becomes much more helpful as it will make that weapon much more effective. I prefer rifles in the late game, as most of the problematic enemies will be difficult to engage at close range, and so I also prefer Bombard.
Packmaster
This is usually the better choice. With Packmaster a Medic can equip a single medikit, get 30 points of healing, and also carry 9 grenades. Adding another Medikit will increase healing to 48, and reduce grenades to 6. Only if you want significantly more healing than this, will Savior become the better option.
Alternatives: Extra Conditioning or Savior
Extra Conditioning is a great defensive skill, but the Medic should not be drawing too much fire.
Savior is only preferable if you want to obtain 70 HP of healing by holding 2 medikits, which may make sense on very long missions. This still allows 4 grenades, with the smoke skills. I think less healing and more smoke is preferable, and so Packmaster is better in my opinion.
Savior can free up one slot on short missions. Great for the ow build. (Medkits then mainly for stabilizing.)