Every game with combat has a little medical in it. Most MMOs have a medic class that keeps party members alive. And even the unique space game will contain forms of survival gameplay, cause space is not nice. But Star Citizen has a way of doing things, that push these game aspects further than some others.
This is the definitive early guide to medical gameplay. It’ll surely be outdated at some point, but this should help you learn what there is to know about medical gameplay in Star Citizen in 2022. I will be releasing updated Medical Gameplay and other guides as things develop and change. Now, let's get into it…
(If you would like to watch this guide in video format, you can click this link. Don’t forget to subscribe!)
Why Become a Medic in Star Citizen?
The medical segment of gameplay is not all about risk and reward like in survival games, and it’s not an afterthought game mechanic you might see in the casual FPS or MMO. It likes to do a whole lot of both.
As a full-time medic, you’re thinking about which drug you need to use for which injury. Did your patient get shot in the head, or fall from a height? Was there a concussive force or did they get hit by a rover and receive head trauma? Are you bleeding out or have you just taken damage to your body? How many times have you healed yourself in the last hour, are you about to overdose? All of these questions have to be considered when helping other players, and it’s up to you to decide how important each of them is. Don’t worry, I’ve got
your back.
Equipment
First, let’s start with equipment. It’s incredibly simple, let’s start with the good stuff. No, no, not ships, we’ve got a broken leg, we’re here for the drugs. And each of these drugs is used in different pens which are used for different symptoms, or injuries, which we’ll discuss in a bit.
The Pens
The Adrenapen is generally used for muscle fatigue and symptoms related to being concussed, Demexatrine.
The Corticopen treats symptoms associated with muscle weakness and respiratory damage with Sterogen.
The Detoxpen handles high blood drug levels and overdoses with Resurgera.
The Opiopen tackles symptoms associated with impaired mobility and partial paralysis.
The Medpen has hemozal which is a drug that stops bleeding and can resuscitate.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to know all of these pens and drugs as a basic Medic.
You just need the Medpen for basic gameplay, which has Hemozal, a drug that stops bleeding and can resuscitate players and NPCs. You’ll sometimes also need an Oxypen, but that’s not really part of this guide.
Each of these pens, by the way, can be found at hospitals, medical clinics, and some stores and weapon shops.
Multi-tool Attachment
You’ve also got your Multi-tool attachment. This tool is useful because when you don’t need it you can disconnect it from your tool. This way as a miner, you can have a tractor beam attachment and medical attachment along with your mining equipment. It takes up less space, essentially. But you can only apply healing Hemozal to treat health and bleeding long enough to limp back to the ship.
This is the second method of healing, and to be honest, while there isn’t much reason to worry about space, the least useful method at the moment.
You cannot read patient information or administer any other types of drugs. It can be found at medical clinics, hospitals, and stores that sell Multi-tool attachments.
Medical Tool
The medical tool, however, gives you all the options. Get injury information, blood drug level readings recommended drugs and manual input options. This is the tool to carry with you at all times once you get some money. It can be found at all hospitals and clinics.
The Beds
Finally, there are the beds. These beds are the last resort for all medical emergencies. They can heal your injuries, relieve your symptoms, and resuscitate you if needed. They are like super medics, but they aren’t easy to come by. Currently, tier 3 beds are available in the Cutlass Red, and Tier 2 beds are available in the Carrack and 890 Jump.
Hospitals and medical clinics have tier 1 beds, but that’s it. These tiers are important, but we will talk about them in the next segment. Let’s talk about injuries.
Types Of Injuries
When taking damage, there are 2 things you need to worry about. Health, and body status, or injuries. Both of these values are displayed on your HUD when they are pertinent. When taking regular damage from things like gunshots or fall damage, you’ll likely only receive health effects and bleeding.
But if you receive repeated damage or a particularly heavy hit, you find yourself receiving 1 of 3 types of injuries.
Tier 1, 2, or 3 injuries, with 1 being the worst.
Each of these injuries corresponds with those beds we mentioned earlier and will be healed by an equivalent or higher medical bed. Drugs and medical tools do not heal injuries, they only reduce the symptoms. So you’ll want to make sure you have a bed close if you are doing anything dangerous. And you’ll want to remember to keep a tier 1 bed handy, as those are the only beds that allow you to respawn after you go down. And if you do go down, it’s actually not the end.
You can press the N key to spawn a medical beacon so that a player out there can find and save you. It’s also a good idea to try and get into a party with your savior. Just be cautious. If you’d like to learn more about life, death, and the plans for permadeath in-game, see my video right here.
And before we move on just note; these injuries are a deterrent.
While they are a very real possibility at all times, this is meant to be something you really consider when making decisions. These injuries do not come lightly, while I feel they are currently to difficult trigger without getting down-ed, their effects can be rough. You may not be able to aim your gun correctly, climb up ladders, or even walk. If you don’t take care of your health when getting repeatedly damaged, an injury could be the difference between escaping a cave and having to call for help. So stay healthy. In fact, let’s talk about healing.
Healing
So the steps for healing yourself are quite simple.
Let’s start with the Med-pen.
All you need to do with this pen after it is on your body is press the C key to equip, and the left mouse button to heal. You can hold the C key to select from the different pens you have on your person. You can also heal others with these pens in a pinch with a right-click.
With the multi-tool and the medical tool, things are pretty similar to each other. You can heal others by pressing the left mouse key while close enough and keeping them on their feet. You can also press the B button to dose yourself if need be. Both of these use their own ammo in addition to the multi-tool attachment, so make sure you don’t forget those. And remember that the medical tool goes even further in its capabilities. As I said previously you have the opportunity to select which drugs you are using on your patient.
Different drugs have different effects on the player, so you’ll need to look at the various body parts on a player to understand what injury they have and where.
This is done by pressing the right mouse button and using your mouse to switch menus and adjust readings. The main screen will identify the target’s blood drug level and health level, while the second level will show a further breakdown of the particular drugs being used.
Each meter shows the expected drug level if you hold the trigger down, as well as the amount of time it will take for the effects to wear off. Your safe blood drug level is also noted at the bottom.
Overdosing is a reality in Star Citizen, this acts as a deterrent to spamming healing in difficult situations and encourages a little more strategy and preparedness. Players can be overdosed to certain extents, ranging from blurred vision to staggered walking, to passing out on the ground. This is why the drug Resurgera is so important when you are manually balancing drugs.
The correct drugs for the job will be best discovered through experience, but you’ll want to keep a guide nearby to remember which drugs to use when. You’ll also be able to easily look at the injured body part and press the auto button to get the hard work done for you. I kinda wish this wasn’t a thing, but it’s there if you need it.
Occasionally if you are a medic, you may also need to save somebody who can’t move. You’ll need to drag a player to a medical bed or gurney and place them on it to get healed.
Finally when inside of hospitals and clinics you’ll be able to change your spawn or regeneration location to that hospital which will result in you going back there if you die, and you can ask for a medical room for additional medical attention.
If this was a lot for you, I’ll be releasing an illustrative version of this guide soon. So keep your eyes out on Discord and my Website. But there’s no way to avoid it, this game is deep and complex. The good news is that you likely will never have to worry about all of this. Most players will be fine with med pens or maybe a medical tool.
As with many systems in this game, medical is meant to be easy enough to pick up for newcomers, but also deep enough that players can make a profession out of it. While this is only a basic tutorial of the gameplay, and there is plenty more to come in the medical field, you should have no problem staying alive in Star Citizen with this info.
This is a new type of tutorial and it might be too much. Please let me know, and check out my full new player's guide right here on this link as well.
-Keenan