Being a medic in WW1 is an extra dose of hell. Not only do they have to undergo the same meat grinder as everyone else but they also have to prevent their comrades from becoming mincemeat. Luckily, Battlefield 1 does right by these medics by making the guns all decent and even competitive. In fact, the general consensus is that there are no bad medic guns in the game.
That's why the metric for good and bad medic weapons usually boils down to which is the most or the least efficient out of all of them. Defining them can be a tough endeavor but not as hard as gaining an inch of territorial front in WW1. So if players want to make sure their team gets the best version of medics, then they ought to take note of these guns.
Best: M1907 SL Sweeper
Having a good all-rounder weapon as a medic is the key to flexibility. Because they never know when to go gung-ho in the frontlines or stay behind and pepper enemies with some medium-ranged shots. That's why the M1907 Sl Sweeper variant is a well-balanced weapon.
It's perfect for medics who want to be able to return fire from the safety of a medium-range or duke it out with the assault teams of the frontlines. It's all thanks to the M1907 Sweeper's detachable magazines with a large capacity. They ensure that medics don't run out of either firepower or healing.
Worst: Selbstlader 1906
While many players claim that there are no bad medic guns in Battlefield 1, those same players probably refuse to use the Selbstlader 1960 Factory. It's by far the least efficient gun in the game. The gun only has five rounds in the magazine.
That wouldn't have been a problem except killing an enemy with it requires three shots (unless players score a headshot). So on average, the gun only allows one kill per magazine with a tiny margin for error. Compared to other options, this one just pales in comparison.
Best:Â Fedorov Avtomat Trench
As a medic, most players will want to keep close to their assault and support players in order to be able to quickly revive them. This does put them in danger as well since Battlefield 1 doesn't follow the Geneva Convention and medics will be shot on sight.
That's why brandishing an automatic weapon makes them more challenging as targets. The Fedorov Avtomat Trench variant is one of the only truly automatic guns for the medic and that's why it's a top pick for many.
Worst: General Liu
The General Liu is generally avoided (no pun intended) for the same reason as Selbstlader 1906. Its magazine size is also small though it pulls slightly ahead with six rounds in the clip. However, the number of shots required to take down a target (sans a headshot) is also a little too high for a rifle.
Not to mention the General Liu is also a bolt-action weapon, making it terribly slow. In plenty of scenarios, medics tend to get swarmed or need to take down multiple enemies for emergency revives; the General Liu is a bit impractical for clutch moves like that.
Best: Selbstlader M1916
Contrary to popular belief, not all Selbstlader guns for the medic are terrible. One of them, the Selbstlader M1916 is quite serviceable since it houses 25 rounds in the magazine plus one in the chamber if players have a bit of OCD.
Anyway, this put the Selbstlader M1916 a tier above most semi-automatic weapons and certainly better than most bolt-action weapons. The only downside is that the bullets don't seem all too powerful but that's to be expected of a weapon with a lot of ammunition.
Worst: Mondragon
By now, there should already be an emerging pattern for the medic's most preferred guns. The good ones are usually those with big ammo capacities and high rates of fire. Anything lower than that is less than optimal for a high-functioning medic.
Hence, the Mondragon rifle is in a bit of a tough spot. It sits in the middle of slow rifles and fast semi-autos/autos. That's why this weapon is easily overshadowed by something like the Fedorov Avtomat or even the Selbstlader M1916. For medics who love to snipe with this, perhaps picking the sniper class is better?
Best: Autoloading 8 Extended
For one of the fan-favorite guns in the game for medics, look no further than the Autoloading 8. Not just that but the .25 Extended variant as that one is considered as the best version of this weapon. It has a decent-sized magazine with 15 rounds for the .25 variant.
This does sacrifice a bit of stopping power for sustained fire but it's all worth it since the Autoloading 8 can make quick work of any target moving or not. The Autoloading 8's greatest strength is that it's one of the fastest-firing guns for the medic and competes well with the Fedorov for firing rate.
Worst: Cei-Rigotti
The Cei-Rigotti, much like the Mondragon, is in a weird middle spot between slow and fast medic weapons. As such, it's not really the best at anything, making it less desirable than bolt-action rifles and automatic/semi-auto weapons.
At best, the Cei-Rigotti is a good alternative for medics looking to score some considerably far kills. Oddly enough, it has a full-auto mode but the 10 rounds per magazine make it clunky to use as a full-auto weapon.
Best: Farquhar-Hill
Speaking of fully automatic weapons, the Farquhar-Hill is among the most stylish in the game. It's a rifle with 19 rounds in the magazine or 20 if you count what's in the chamber. It's also one of the first few fully automatic weapons of the 20th century.
With these beautiful stats, one would expect the Farquhar-Hill to compromise on the stopping power or damage but it merely takes three to four shots from this weapon to put down an enemy.
Worst: Autoloading 8 (Except For Extended)
Since the Autoloading 8 was mentioned as one of the best, some players might assume that the other versions also hold up well. That isn't the case as the Autoloading 8 .35 isn't an ideal weapon for a medic's situation.
The Autoloading 8 .35, meaning the Factory and Marksman variants only hold five rounds. Too bad the damage values of the Autoloading 8 make it favorable for closer ranges. Fighting that close with only five rounds in your main weapon is suicide though as far as WW1 roleplaying goes, that's a pretty accurate disregard for one's life.