u/Chewy2121

I personally believe the Ubersaw and Vita-Saw should have their downsides swapped.

The Ubersaw has a risk/reward factor to it. You take a swing, get Uber. But I believe it should have the -10 max health penalty the Vita-saw has. Mainly to balance the Ubersaw in a similar way to the Kritzkreig. Both would build quicker, more pro-active Ubers at the cost of survivability. Medics would have to weigh getting extra Uber over survivability. The meme of the Ubersaw getting constant crits also makes the swing speed penalty sort of a non-issue. Well, besides the “downside” of killing your enemy in one hit over getting another hit for even more Uber.

The Vita-Saw however, is terrible. I love it, but I believe it would be better as a learning tool with a different balance change. You get organs for spy-checking and can save uber for being proactive. Having a slower swing speed stops a cornered medic from trying to store too much Uber and promotes trying to surf damage and running away unless you don’t see a way out. It makes playing medic less punishing at the cost of not having upsides provided by other melee unlocks.

I think if the crossbow stays the way it is, the Ubersaw is a win more option for the medic, punishing enemies who try to dive the medic and don’t get the job done. Cutting down on the survivability would make other options like the solemn vow more appealing as you could pair it with the crossbow to help finish off enemies from the back-line.