I was going to move past this thread until I checked back in to see my poor mage being slandered relentlessly!
I get a lot of the points that are being made about mages but this whole debate hinges on what's weighted as being more important. We'll have to agree to disagree, but I think naming mages as the most underpowered class of the game is very incorrect!
Solo-wise, they are very capable. Sure, camps with 3+ mobs are probably off limits unless they're weak, but a mage can take 2 mobs with an earth pet pretty consistently. They can do dungeons solo in some circumstances (but then again, which class besides enchanter can reliably do all the dungeons in the game solo?) Unlike a wizard, a mage can actually do dungeons. And don't get me started about farming.
Grouping wise, the argument for necro over mage is completely predicated on the composition of the group. In the vast majority of grouping experiences, there is a cleric and there is an enchanter or bard, or at least someone who can root (even if it;s just the cleric). and in 95% of the cases, that's all you need - the extra utility of a necro, like the argument about druid/rangers' abilities being overshadowed by other classes that can do the same in the group, is usually nullified. I'd take a mage's DPS over the situational utility of a necro (if it is needed in the first place) any day.
A mage's DPS in a group is not to be trifled with. Imo only a rogue can compare --- their pets hit harder on an average hit than a rogue, a 33 point damage shield adds up a lot, plus mana free nukes from the chardok staff (333 dmg) or velks boots (600 damage) - and that's not even considering the 1k nuke we can drop to help burn down a mob. Given that the vast majority of groups is about grinding through mobs mindlessly, a mage is head and shoulders preferable to a necro in most groups. And if it isn't one of those xp grinding groups - but instead a loot camp involving a tough named - well, in most cases the group is pre-configured with a cleric and a CC (usually enchanter). Given the elite DPS class of a mage, they belong there over a necro, too.
Mage roles in raids are lame, but it is a critical one. Given how boring raids are with autoattack and heals being the crux of it, who cares if it is lame? simply being critical with a spell or two is enough for me, personally
I think people get too hung about mages being weaker than the other casters, especially with no CC (and I grant that they are - certainly weaker than enchanter, necro, shaman, and in some cases even druid) - but they are a specialized class that specializes in dealing sustained DPS in a manner only rivaled by a well geared rogue or monk.
as for utility, you can't discount malo just because shamans get it too - only 2 classes get this line of spells, and it is so useful for any other spellcaster in the group who needs resists lowered when there is no shaman (which happens frequently enough)
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