Ok, some pointers.
Level. It's stupid easy as a mage as long as you keep escape paths open and dont try to keep too much clear solo. I could post some pointers on where to go at what level but it's really not that hard.
Get JBoots. As a mage, this is stupid easy to do from level 40 on. Just need to find the AC camp open.
Get the Focus. Sol Ro temple, Phinny/PoHate drops, whatever you can get your hands on. Period, nuff said.
Farm the permafrost goblin jailmaster. He drops a net with 3 charges of instant cast root. Not even lore so I usually have 2 or 3 on me. It's a good save your ass kind of thing. I've missed the timing on chaining a pet on Allizesaur or noxious spider due to BSing or something and popping a root gives me time to recast pet.
When soloing, unless I get a client crash, I rarely die. I keep gate up, escape paths open, chose my game play carefully. I also keep Arch Shielding, Levitate and JBoots on at all times, when possible.
As for mage DPS, here are some hard numbers.
With the fire staff from PoHate, the level 49 fire pet maxes at 45 self DS. Hits for up to 58, quads. Four chains of this bad ass puppy usually takes down Allizesaur in OOT, five on the outside. Throw out a low level nuke for full exp if you're not maxed 50. And that's like the highest level non-raid/group encounter in the game right now. Some mages prefer the earth pet since it lasts longer, but fire pet kills faster due to self DS and all in all takes less mana to chain in new pet, throw it a burnout and turn it lose. With the earth pet you gotta also cast DS on it, which takes more mana and means more downtime.
Mage best nuke, lava bolt, 300 mana, 810 damage. 2.7 damage to mana ratio.
Wiz best nuke, ice comet, 400 mana, 1120 damage, 2.8 damage to mana ratio.
So as you can see from a pure nuking standpoint we're like 3.5% on the damage to mana ratio under a wizard. But add in pet DPS and we blow wizards out of the water. This trend continues through out the game, my level 85 mage I used to play on live was usually top first or second (third if I phoned it in) DPS on any given encounter during raids.
True, we can't quad kite. But we can kill just as fast as a quad kiter with out all that running around and dying.
True, we can't port or evac, just means we gotta play smarter.
We are what we are, a tank and spank class with the ability to be the tank, the healer and the nuker all rolled into one. Me and Jobantik, all the group we need.
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