Only gear a Mage really needs is the focus items like Scope said and some kind of a Robe to look pimp.
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] They really don't benefit a lot form a ton of Int , mana. I mean it doesn't hurt to have it but just takes longer to med. Their pet does most of the work.
They used to level faster than hell before the pet nerf. I think the best way now is just do a little damage to get the 50% XP than trying to out damage the pet for full XP. They still level solo even with 50% XP as fast or faster than probably any other class but a Bard.
And go to this Wiki Link
http://wiki.project1999.org/Main_Page. Go to Equipment-Class to see the prices on stuff.