Maintenance for the week of December 16:
• [COMPLETE] NA megaservers for patch maintenance – December 17, 4:00AM EST (9:00 UTC) - 12:00PM EST (17:00 UTC)
• [COMPLETE] EU megaservers for patch maintenance – December 17, 9:00 UTC (4:00AM EST) - 17:00 UTC (12:00PM EST)
Very nice question! Honestly there isn't! This game allows you to play and create anyway you would like to! Now if I were to give you a bias opinion I would have to say: For mages go with a High Elf or a Dark elf. Using Light Armor is more realistic, weapons it all depends on your prefrence. In the game you will have two weapon interfaces anyways. You could use a Restoration staff/destruction staff. Or Destruction staff/shield and sword.
I hope this helped you! When I create my Character I will be probably be creating a Battlemage. Most likely a High elf Dragonknight Battlemage! Or to say a High Elf Templar Battlemage. Templar class allows you to become a healer that is beneficial for group fighting. Drogonknight battlemage allows me and whomever to use the class abilities(fire abilities to be exact) and prodominatly a destruction staff mostly a (fire staff). Like I said there are countless combos you could use to create your own ideal character.
As a starter I've found plate and a 2h weapon a good spot. I am however messing with a dual wield plate/cloth combo (for resistance, health, and magic boons) with good success - she seems to have a good dps using the storm tree with ample mana reserves.
Like everyone's said it's really up to you and how you want to play it.
I plan to go battlemage as well, when I finally get off work and can play. I was going to use a High Elf, Sorcerer build using heavy armor, 2H as main weapon and a resto staff for offhand. I figured this was the best way to balance the tanky melee dps style with the ranged nuker. I'll get caster passives and actives from racials and class skill lines, I'll get my melee dps passives and actives from armor and primary weapon, and then I'll have an off-hand resto staff for a bit of survivability. I think it will be a fun build to play, with lots of flexibility in playstyle.
During the last beta weekend I tried a sword&board Imperial Sorceress in med armor providing stamina regen and eventually the crits to help with DPS.
The morphed AOE Crystal Shard and the S&B abilities were great fun and sorcerer has actually some good close combat options in death magic synergizing nicely with the S&B debuffs.
I´m really ecstatic with the depth this game provides in regard to builds.
Edited by Rotherhans on March 31, 2014 11:45PM
“I'm not going out of my way looking for devils;
but I wouldn't step out of my path to let one go by.”― Robert E. Howard