So You Want to Toss Nukes?

You Might Be a Mage If …

Welcome to the second in a series of articles designed to help new players, and maybe not so new players, better gauge which class to choose. This is based on my own play experiences, the advice of online friends and strangers, the insights of those same people – and their follies as well.

When I began playing EQ2, I had no real idea of the structure of MMORPG play. I knew what the different classes were supposed to be, on paper. The dynamic changes somewhat when translated to the real play experience, however.

In an effort to help others avoid choosing a class and investing a great deal of time into it before realizing it isn’t their cup of tea, I’m writing this “You … If” series.

So …

You Might Be a Mage If …

… You enjoy attacking things from afar.

… You enjoy doing as much damage as possible in the shortest time period.

… You like to remain relatively stationary in battle.

… You prefer to observe all from a bird’s eye view.

… You like battle – but not when standing in the middle of it.

… You are passive, but aware of all that is happening.

The role of the mage in EQ2 is one of an assistant. Don’t let that title deceive you, however! The mage is the primary damage-dealer, and responsible for most of the killing that happens in a group. Yet, a mage is also equipped with spells that will enable her to protect the group, and hinder enemies.

Magic is your focus – this will be used to kill, to aid, and to protect. A mage will be able to stand back from the thick of battle and watch what is happening, casting spells that address the situation. If this means killing: you can blow up enemies with a fiery explosion. If this means protection: you can buff up the group with a barrier. If this means aid, you can remove negative effects from allies and halt the enemy.

A mage plays the roles of observer and protector. Players sometimes joke about the mage being an “easy” class to play. They stand back, watch things unfold, cast some spells, kill the monsters, and then follow the leader to the next encounter. In theory, this does sound easy. But it isn’t so much a matter of difficulty as it is one of observation. A mage needs to be constantly monitoring what is going on. You will be the only one capable of handling large groups of monsters, of subduing ambushers, and in most cases, the only one able to deal serious damage to the toughest creatures.

A mage must be able to stand back, and let others lead. You have no chance of exploring dungeons on your own. You will need to be grouped or you will die. As such, you really cannot afford to take charge and go dashing headlong into that dark tunnel, ahead of your fighter. A mage has to be willing to stand back and let others do the leading. You cannot wield any weapons other than knives and staves, and you wear the very lightest of armor. Your magic is your protection, and more often than not, the motto “Kill or be killed” will pop into your head.

A mage’s primary responsibility is to dish it out and hold nothing back. At the start of a battle, you will need to be careful – but once things get going and you are not in danger of drawing the mosnter’s ire, you will let it go. Strategy will play a part, you will need to organize your skills so that you can be efficient, not wasting any energy or extra casting time on un-needed spells. You will need to monitor the monsters’ HP closely and make sure you aren’t wasting your energy here, either. Sometimes you may need to take evasive action, or to defend yourself, if you are attacked. But largely, you are the primary killer in your group.

Your role as a mage is not to be “the hero.” It sounds noble – but you will die attempting anything heroic with a mage (other than killing, that is). Let others act as the meatshields.

If all this sounds exciting to you, and makes you think, “This is me!” – then you should choose to be a mage. If not, you may want to look at the other classes before you decide. In a future series, I’ll be discussing subclasses in more depth, to give a further idea of the evolving roles of each archetype as they progress past level 20.