Newbie Mage

Heyo~!
So yea, I'm new to the game. I've been lookin all over and it seems dat everyone suggest that ur first character should be some sort of mage build but I've been confused.
I'm not too big on da mmo's and their stats stuff so I've been worried on wut to do.
What stats am I supposed to pour into?
What skills are highly recommended?
Plez help..

 

Welcome to the forum!

Spoiler: New to the game

^_^

 

First of all, welcome.
Don't worry much about first character, just play at the pace you want and create new character as you wish for different build up (later on with main quest, you get more character slot). Most people would reserve their first character and reset skill later for something useful like blacksmith/synth.... But don't worry about all of that for now, just try to learn the game at your pace first until you get the gist of most thing (say, at least reach the cap level 2-3 times).
The reason why most people choose mage cause it is easy to build up for early damage with cheap set up. Of course the playstyle itself has a lot of downside but it is viable in both farming and doing some damage. Just aim for level 150 first and you can unlock the Finale skill to go against some bosses. Level 70 can get Storm and use it to farm smaller mobs. And don't forget to try other class with new characters, it is not good to go "I only want mage" all the time

 

forget all the guides and recommendations, most of them are outdated or simply bad.

recommended stats are INT/DEX for staves or INT/AGI for MDs.
(INT/DEX can also work with MDs, although AGI gives more benefits overall)

staves can equip sub weapons, the best choice would be a dagger (for evasion) that boosts magic stats, or a shield (for guard).
you can also add STR to attack with daggers or use knuckles or arrows, but those are "advanced" builds and more complex but not necessarily better.
for newbies it's easier to stick to magic and be like the classical Black Mage from Final Fantasy.

your first skill should MP Charge.
then Magic: Arrows.
after that, you can do what you want.

Magic: Arrows is the most powerful magic until lv70,
and also the strongest 1st tier skill in the entire game.

Magic: Javelin is a basic status spell, the ailment depends on your weapon's element.
it doesn't have a cast time, but is still much slower than physical attack skills.

Magic: Wall is a basic defensive magic. it places a magic circle on the floor that will push enemies away from you when they step on it. the circle does not move, so position it strategically for optimal results.

2nd tier magic unlocks at lv30, and offers the most powerful attack spells until lv150.

Magic: Lances is like a bigger version of Magic: Arrows. it's the most powerful single-target magic attack in the entire game.

Magic: Blast is cool explosion magic, which can also inflict status ailments like Magic: Javelin.
the cast time is twice as long, but the cost/effect ratio makes it the best magic attack in the game.

Chain Cast is a passive upgrade for Magic: Arrows. the cast time of the next magic attack used after Magic: Arrows will be shortened by up to 50%.

3rd tier magic unlocks at lv70 and brings more utility spells.

Magic: Impact is a short-ranged instant magic attack with a high chance to tumble enemies, and it reduces the cost of the next used skill.

Magic: Storm is advanced defensive magic. it traps enemies in a small tonardo while dealing damage over time.
it has less power than Magic: Blast but the cast time is much shorter and you can recover mp or chant another spell while the enemy is trapped by the tonardo.

Power Wave extends the range of your auto-attacks but reduces the damage dealt.
the power penalty is minimised with Staves, and MDs even increase in power.

4th tier magic unlocks at lv150. it offers advanced attack magic, but is tricky to use.

Magic: Finale is the most powerful attack spell and also has the widest target range. but most of the power is concentrated on the center and drops off radically towards the outside.
the cast time is long and will attract the enemies attention while casting. (cast speed does not reduce the cast time, will decrease the aggro generated while chanting).

Magic: Burst is a directional explosion in a cone shape. it also makes you invincible to frontal attacks when it activates. the cast time is long, but every time you use another magic attack, the cast time is shortened by 1 second. with enough preparation, Magic: Burst will activate instantly. (the counter is reset when Magic: Burst activates)

Maximizer is a stronger version of MP Charge. if you use it after casting MP Charge, it will activate instantly.


Wizard Skills become available at lv30. they are less impressive, but can be useful in many situations.

Familia summons a cat (or owl) to increase your magic power, maxMP and adds a chance of dealing additional magic damage with your auto-attacks.
a summoned familiar is required to use any of the other Wizard Skills.

Mana Crystal works like MP Charge, but instead of directly restoring your MP, it stores them in a crystal on the field. party members can pick up the crystal to restore their MP, but it does not work on pets.

Lightning commands the familiar to cast thunder magic, a single-target wind elemental attack with a low chance to inflict Paralysis. it takes 4 seconds to finish, but costs no MP.

Blizzard commands the familiar to use ice magic, a large water elemental AoE attack dealing damage over time, with a medicore chance to inflict Freeze.

Meteor commands the familiar to use meteor magic, a non-targeting fire elemental field attack, which inflicts Ignite and Dizzy. the meteors will hit at random locations, but may also fall out of the map.
this spell is best used in wide open fields with many mobs around.

Stone Barrier commands the familiar to cast a defensive barrier. it takes 3 seconds to activate can reduce a certain amount of damage taken before it breaks.
damage received from Poison and Ignite is doubled, though.

 

Isn't Magic: Arrows the strongest zero Tier skill in the game?
Since something like Forefist Punch would be the strongest first tier skill?
Also, great unbiased Analysis of magic skills!

Some more (only summary):

• Priest skills do not do (significant) damage, but are mostly used as Utility skills for healing yourselves using the power of light and others and temporarily boosting MATK.
• Dark power skills used as Utility skills for healing yourselves by Dark Energy and by feeding on the blood of your enemies. Deal good damage at the cost of your HP or life. Not Magic Skills, but interesting to add.