Vaccinator

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Fascinating...
The Medic on changing resistances

The Vaccinator is a community-created secondary weapon for the Medic. It roughly resembles a heavily-modified, more futuristic team-colored Medi Gun, with a team-colored, glowing liquid-filled beaker attached to the lower middle section, a small monitor left of the main body and additional cables and valves. It also changes the stock Medi Gun backpack to a small Canteen-like device.

The main feature of the weapon is the Medic's ability to select the desired resistance to be applied both to the Medic and the heal target. The player can cycle through bullet, explosive, and fire resistances by pressing the reload button (default key: R) and an appropriate icon appears over the ÜberCharge meter. In addition, a clacking sound cue is played every time the resistance is switched as an auditory feedback signal to the player.

Compared to the stock Medi Gun, the weapon has a 67% faster ÜberCharge build rate. However, when healing a patient who is at full health or higher, the ÜberCharge builds at 0.66x the normal rate; as with other Medi Guns, this is then halved to 0.33x of the normal rate if the patient is at 142.5% health or higher and is further halved to 0.166x if they are being simultaneously healed by another source. While actively healing, the Medic and the heal target gain a 10% resistance to the selected type of damage. In addition, the shield icons for any active resistances appear above the health meter on both the Medic's and patient's HUD and over their heads.

Instead of a single ÜberCharge bar, the Vaccinator builds up to four smaller bars of ÜberCharge, filled in intervals of 25% ÜberCharge (i.e. the bars are filled in order as 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% ÜberCharge is reached). Each time a bar is filled up, a specific brief sound effect (different from the resistances sound cue) is played to alert the player. The first fully charged ÜberCharge bar may automatically trigger the Übercharge Ready voice response from the Medic.

When the ÜberCharge is deployed, one bar is immediately consumed, and a protective shield of the selected damage type is placed on the Medic and the heal target (if applicable), lasting for 2.5 seconds. This shield grants 75% damage resistance to the selected type of damage, and fully resists critical damage of its type. The increased knockback from Critical hits is not resisted, however. This shield persists for its duration even if the Medic changes heal targets, allowing the Medic to place additional shields on as many teammates as permitted by the amount of ÜberCharge available. The Medic may also place a second shield of a different damage type on the same patient, allowing them to resist multiple damage types simultaneously. Attempting to place a shield on a patient who already has an active shield of that damage type has no effect, though holding down the ÜberCharge key causes it to automatically place another shield when the first one runs out. The shield dissipates from the Medic upon switching weapons if it is still active, but not from the patient. Any partially charged ÜberCharge bar (e.g., any interval that is less than 25%) is not lost upon deploying ÜberCharge, the ÜberCharge meter is simply reduced by 25% upon placing a shield. If ÜberCharge is deployed while the patient or Medic is suffering from afterburn that was caused by a Flame Thrower, the damage resistance is reduced to 60%, and the Critical hit resistance is reduced to 80%.

The bonus damage of Critical hits and Mini-Crits is not resisted during normal healing. When the Medic or patient receive damage that is matched with the selected resistance (e.g., they take damage from a Shotgun while the Bullet Resistance is selected), an auditory clashing sound can be heard, indicating that damage was blocked; a small shield of the selected damage type also flashes over the damaged player, giving a visual cue as well.

An activated ÜberCharge has its own characteristic sound effect which is quite different to that of the other Medi Guns. As well, the auditory clashing sound upon resisting the correctly matched damage type increases in pitch, allowing both the Medic and patient to know that they are resisting 75% of the matched damage rather than just 10%. While ÜberCharge is deployed, the Medic and his patient are able to capture a point, push and defend the cart, and carry the intelligence, unlike the stock Medi Gun.

When healing a patient with a faster movement speed than the Medic, the Medic's speed is increased to match the patient's, allowing him to keep up with Scouts, or teammates that have a weapon-boosted movement speed. Any kills that the patient being healed gets is counted as an assist to the Medic. Kills gotten by ÜberCharged patients who are not being healed do not count as an assist.

The Vaccinator was contributed to the Steam Workshop.

Healing and function times

Healing and function times
Healing
Healing (in combat) 100% 24 / s (8 / s)
Healing (out of combat) 300% 72 / s (24 / s)
Function times
Effect duration 2.5 s per resistance
Charge fill speed 4.175% / s, 2.8% / s, 1.4% / s
Maximum charge time 24 s, 36 s, 72 s
Beam connect distance 450 (Hammer units)
Beam disconnect distance 540 (Hammer units)
Values are approximate and determined by community testing.

Demonstration

Crafting

See also: Crafting

Blueprint

Quick-Fix Reclaimed Metal Vaccinator
Item icon Quick-Fix.pngx3 + Item icon Reclaimed Metal.png = Item icon Vaccinator.png
Class Token - Medic Slot Token - Secondary Scrap Metal Possible Results
Item icon Class Token - Medic.png + Item icon Slot Token - Secondary.png + Item icon Scrap Metal.png =
Item icon Kritzkrieg.png Item icon Quick-Fix.png Item icon Vaccinator.png

Strange variant


Related achievements

Achieved.png General achievements

Master of Disguise
Master of Disguise
Trick an opposing Medic into healing you.
Team Doctor
Team Doctor
Accumulate 25000 heal points as a Medic.


Leaderboard class scout.png Scout

Doctoring the Ball
Doctoring the Ball
Kill 3 enemies while under the effects of a Medic's ÜberCharge.


Leaderboard class soldier.png Soldier

S*M*A*S*H
S*M*A*S*H
Assist a Medic in exploding 5 enemies with a single ÜberCharge.
War Crime and Punishment
War Crime and Punishment
In a single life, kill 3 enemies who have damaged a Medic that is healing you.


Leaderboard class pyro.png Pyro

Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics
Kill 3 enemies in a single ÜberCharge.
Next of Kindling
Next of Kindling
Ignite an enemy, and the Medic healing him.


Leaderboard class demoman.png Demoman

Tam O'Shatter
Tam O'Shatter
Destroy 5 enemy Engineer buildings during a single ÜberCharge from a Medic.


Leaderboard class heavy.png Heavy

Class Struggle
Class Struggle
Work with a friendly Medic to kill an enemy Heavy & Medic pair.


Division of Labor
Division of Labor
Kill 10 enemies with a Medic assisting you, where neither of you die.


Party Loyalty
Party Loyalty
Kill 50 enemies within 3 seconds of them attacking your Medic.
Red Oktoberfest
Red Oktoberfest
Earn a domination for a Medic who's healing you.


Soviet Block
Soviet Block
While invulnerable and on defense, block an invulnerable enemy Heavy's movement.


Supreme Soviet
Supreme Soviet
Get ÜberCharged 50 times.


Leaderboard class engineer.png Engineer

Doc, Stock, and Barrel
Doc, Stock, and Barrel
Repair a sentry gun under fire while being healed by a Medic.


Leaderboard class medic.png Medic

Autoclave
Autoclave
Assist in burning 5 enemies with a single ÜberCharge on a Pyro.


Bedside Manner
Bedside Manner
Be healing a teammate as he achieves an achievement of his own.


Big Pharma
Big Pharma
Assist a Heavy in killing 10 enemies, where neither of you die.


Blast Assist
Blast Assist
Assist in exploding 5 enemies with a single ÜberCharge on a Soldier.


Blunt Trauma
Blunt Trauma
Assist in punching 2 enemies with a single ÜberCharge on a Heavy.


Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
Accumulate 1 million total heal points.


Consultation
Consultation
Assist a fellow Medic in killing 3 enemies in a single life.


Doctor Assisted Homicide
Doctor Assisted Homicide
Assist in killing 20 nemeses.


Double Blind Trial
Double Blind Trial
Deploy an ÜberCharge within 8 seconds of a nearby enemy Medic deploying his.


Family Practice
Family Practice
ÜberCharge 5 of your Steam Community Friends.


First Do No Harm
First Do No Harm
Play a full round without killing any enemies, and score the highest on a team of 6 or more players.


Grand Rounds
Grand Rounds
Heal 200 teammates after they've called for 'Medic!'.


Group Health
Group Health
Work with 2 other Medics to deploy 3 simultaneous ÜberCharges.


House Call
House Call
Join a game that one of your friends is in and then deploy an ÜberCharge on him.


Hypocritical Oath
Hypocritical Oath
Kill an enemy Spy that you have been healing.
Infernal Medicine
Infernal Medicine
Extinguish 100 burning teammates.


Intern
Intern
Accumulate 7000 heal points in a single life.


Medical Breakthrough
Medical Breakthrough
Assist in destroying 5 enemy Engineer buildings with a single ÜberCharge on a Demoman.


Medical Intervention
Medical Intervention
Save a falling teammate from dying on impact.


Midwife Crisis
Midwife Crisis
Heal an Engineer as he repairs his sentry gun while it's under enemy fire.


Play Doctor
Play Doctor
In a team with no Medics, be the first person to switch to Medic after a teammate calls for 'Medic!', and then heal 500 health.


Preventive Medicine
Preventive Medicine
Block the enemy from capturing a control point with an ÜberCharged teammate.


Quadruple Bypass
Quadruple Bypass
Heal a teammate who's taking fire from 4 enemies at once.


Second Opinion
Second Opinion
ÜberCharge 2 teammates at once.


Specialist
Specialist
Accumulate 10000 heal points in a single life.


Surgical Prep
Surgical Prep
Have an ÜberCharge ready before the Setup phase ends.


Trauma Queen
Trauma Queen
Deploy 3 ÜberCharges in less than 5 minutes, and assist in 5 kills during that time.


Triage
Triage
Deploy an ÜberCharge on a teammate less than a second before they're hit by a critical explosive.


Ubi concordia, ibi victoria
Ubi concordia, ibi victoria
Assist in killing 3 enemies on an enemy control point, in a single life.


You'll Feel a Little Prick
You'll Feel a Little Prick
Assist in killing 3 enemies with a single ÜberCharge on a Scout.


Leaderboard class spy.png Spy

FYI I am a Spy
FYI I am a Spy
Backstab a Medic who has healed you in the last 5 seconds.
Insurance Fraud
Insurance Fraud
Kill an enemy while you're being healed by an enemy Medic.

Update history

December 20, 2012 Patch (Mecha Update)
  • The Vaccinator was added to the game.

January 24, 2013 Patch

  • Fixed missing text in the recipe description for the Vaccinator.

February 1, 2013 Patch

  • [Undocumented] Fixed an issue with the self-illumination on the Vaccinator's backpack.

February 28, 2013 Patch

  • Updated the Vaccinator with its own uber-off sound and a sound when toggling resist types.

July 10, 2013 Patch

  • Changed attribute:
    • Über now fully absorbs Crit damage for the selected damage type, but depletes Übercharge based on the amount of damage prevented.

October 30, 2013 Patch

  • Updated the Vaccinator to use the reload key to cycle through resist types.

November 12, 2013 Patch

August 13, 2014 Patch

  • [Undocumented] Added Strange quality.

October 30, 2014 Patch

  • Updated the equip_region for the Vaccinator.

January 15, 2015 Patch #1

  • Fixed the Medic not being able to deploy a Vaccinator charge while carrying the flag.

July 2, 2015 Patch #1 (Gun Mettle Update)

  • Updated description to better detail the weapon's features.
  • Fixed a bug that gave Vaccinator patients full Crit immunity.
  • Changed attributes:
    • Vaccinator base resist does not grant any Crit resistance.
    • Vaccinator Uber deploys now always take exactly 1 bar of Uber charge.
    • Vaccinator Uber deploys give the patient a 2.5 second bubble of 75% damage resistance of the current resist type and full Crit resistance to that type. These bubbles do not disappear if the Medic stops targeting the current patient. Multiple bubbles of different types can be applied to the same patient or multiple patients given the same resist uber each consuming 1 charge.
    • Vaccinator uber build now suffers the same penalties as other mediguns when it comes to multiple medics on the same target and max overhealed patients.
    • Decreased the bonus healing a Medic received for properly selecting the right damage resistance type from 25% of incoming damage to 10% of incoming damage.
    • Added Penalty of 66% decreased uber build rate while healing an overhealed patient.

July 6, 2015 Patch

  • Changed attribute:
    • Übercharge penalty no longer applies during setup time.

July 8, 2015 Patch #1

  • Vaccinator Über bubbles once again work on Reanimators in Mann vs. Machine, but now instantly fills them by 90%.

October 28, 2015 Patch (Scream Fortress VII)

  • [Undocumented] Switching weapons under the effect of a Vaccinator ÜberCharge cancels its effect.

December 17, 2015 Patch (Tough Break Update)

  • During setup time, ÜberCharge build rate is now increased by 3x.
  • Changed attributes:
    • Removed 10% health regeneration on proper resist.
    • Increased ÜberCharge rate from +50% to +67%.
    • Reduced overhealed ÜberCharge build rate penalty to 33% from 66%. As this penalty is applied after the base increase, healing an overhealed patient is now 33% more effective.

July 7, 2016 Patch (Meet Your Match Update)

  • All Mediguns allow the Medic to match the speed of their heal target.
    • Previously only available on the Quick-Fix.
  • A dropped Mediguns's stored ÜberCharge begins to decay over time after coming to rest.

September 12, 2016 Patch

  • Fixed Medics getting the Demoman's charging speed when using Mediguns other than the Quick-Fix.

July 7, 2022 Patch

  • Fixed Übercharge charge rate and duration upgrade not working for the Vaccinator

July 18, 2024 Patch #1 (Summer 2024 Update)

  • Fixed Vaccinator heal sound continuing to play after Medic's death.

Unused content

  • There are three different styles of beam intended for this weapon, one for each type of resistance. Instead, the weapon shares the same healing beam with the Kritzkrieg and Quick-Fix.
  • The Two Cities Update added new skins and particles for the Vaccinator shield. As their names suggest they are exclusive to the Mann vs. Machine game mode, solely on robots. These skins represent each buff resistance type and each one has their own color. The Bullet Resistance (mvm_vaccinator_shield_bullets) has a blue color, the Explosive Resistance (mvm_vaccinator_shield_explosives) has a green color and the Fire Resistance (mvm_vaccinator_shield_fire) has an orange color.
    • Vaccinator Medic robots exist in the code, but are not used in any official Mann vs. Machine missions, and even have a unique weapon named The Vaccinator MVM. Curiously, this weapon is not in the game's Item schema. Vaccinator Medic robots nullify all damage of their chosen type.

Bugs

  • When balanced to the other team while possessing a ready charge, the Vaccinator continues to glow in the original team's color.
  • Occasionally, the resistance icon remains floating in place.
  • After healing an enemy Spy, the resistance icon might get permanently stuck on the Spy, visible through disguises and cloak and even after dying and respawning.
  • The Medic's back has a gap that shows the inner body when the Vaccinator is being worn. This is due to the Vaccinator's backpack being smaller than the others.
  • A Spy disguised as a Medic with the Vaccinator equipped has the regular Medic backpack.
  • If a player is being given a resistance by the Vaccinator while they are switching teams, the resistance icon from the previous team may still hover above them.

Notes

  • The Vaccinator was announced to have Added slight ÜberCharge build on proper resistances attribute in the December 17, 2015 Patch (Tough Break Update). As later confirmed by Valve, this change did not happen in that Patch and the incorrect information was removed from the official release note.[1]

Gallery

References

See also