I’d take a well played mage over pretty much any other dps in a 4-6 man group setting besides an enchanter. The good ones who are actually playing their class correctly(max pet, Keeping DS on the tank, debuffing, mod rodding) bring a lot to the table assuming you have a tank, cc, and healer. So I see them as more of a 4-6 addition, and raiding.
https://wiki.project1999.com/Loraen%...election_Guide
Loraens guide has a nice class breakdown looking at all aspects of the game rating each one. I’d change a few things but overall I think it’s pretty accurate I put mages somewhere in the middle. Worst classes are Ranger/pally for sure and the numbers you see online reflect that