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Alpha Two Phase III testing has begun! During this phase, our realms will be open every day, and we'll only have downtime for updates and maintenance. We'll keep everyone up-to-date about downtimes in Discord.
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Will the Mage Class Receive an Update?
Podgnil
Member, Alpha Two
From actual gameplay, it feels like Mage was one of the first classes ever designed. I’m not saying it’s weak — but it’s extremely non-flexible. It has a surprisingly small number of abilities for a caster class, and at level 25 you aren’t really choosing a build. Instead, you’re choosing which 2–3 skill points you’re forced to give up. As a result, all Mages end up looking almost identical.
If we draw a parallel with the Bard, and imagine a situation where ability points couldn’t be freely redistributed on the fly, Bards would face real build-defining choices:
Do you become a mana battery?
A damage-support hybrid?
Focus on single-target damage?
Or build around AoE?
For Mage, this level of diversity simply doesn’t exist right now. The size and variability of the Mage skill tree honestly leave much to be desired.
Maybe other classes suffer from similar issues — I haven’t played all of them deeply — but from what I’ve seen, Mage feels like the most neglected class at the moment.
So the question is:
Will there be any minor or major update to the Mage class before the release of subclasses and augments?
If we draw a parallel with the Bard, and imagine a situation where ability points couldn’t be freely redistributed on the fly, Bards would face real build-defining choices:
Do you become a mana battery?
A damage-support hybrid?
Focus on single-target damage?
Or build around AoE?
For Mage, this level of diversity simply doesn’t exist right now. The size and variability of the Mage skill tree honestly leave much to be desired.
Maybe other classes suffer from similar issues — I haven’t played all of them deeply — but from what I’ve seen, Mage feels like the most neglected class at the moment.
So the question is:
Will there be any minor or major update to the Mage class before the release of subclasses and augments?
0
Comments
Nice, where this info is? what clasess they will update\rework?
What’s wrong with people’s education or upbringing on the internet?
I asked a simple question: Is a mage rework planned before the Harbinger update? If yes, where was it mentioned and when is it expected?
Thanks, Captain Obvious, for reminding me the game is in alpha. I must be the idiot who paid 100 euros and thought I’ve been playing a finished product for a year…
And if you actually have an answer, you could just give it — like “here’s the link to the statement, they talked about it on this date.”
If you don’t know, then just move along
This is one of my big questions. Not just for the mage, but for all the classes. Mage is the one with the most limited build options. Basically all lvl 25 mages are the same. You've selected 95% of the same skills as any other mage. It's a very cookie cutter system. Most classes are this way, but not as bad as the mage since I last played to 25.
No classes will be as they are today on release. That much I'm sure of. But when they get an update and what that update looks like is a big mystery to everyone. Assuming it's true that they are going to update them and add in some diversity of class builds for level 25 and below, then what's the point of all this pvp balancing? So it's contradicting information. I'm just in a wait and see mode at this point.
It'll be interesting to see how the archtypes change the current dynamic.
You asked And neither of those will come with the Harbinger release. In other words, the answer to your OP question is "yes, the mage will get changed before those 2 things come online".
I counter your Question - with another Question.
Do You know how You can 100% know -> that all Classes will get Updates still and anyway ?
Easy and simple.
-> ALL OF THEM will in time get combined with all the other Classes. It will be a bit tricky then to keep it nicely balanced regarding Power and Opportunities for certain Archetypes being combined,
but all in all the Work in the Classes is not over yet. BY FAR not over yet.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
I am in the guildless Guild so to say, lol. But i won't give up. I will find my fitting Guild "one Day".
https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Release_schedule
Secondary archetype specialization will start once all primary archetypes and skill trees are completed.[98][99][100]
In particular, go listen to the 98th quote.
This is normally where I go 'you can do it, team, I believe in you!' but unfortunately my playgroup is finally at 'nah we don't believe' as of Summoner update. Intrepid if listening can note that this is only because y'all had to give so much potential Mage stuff to Summoner that we're starting to believe in that whole 'Fire, Ice, Lightning, Teleportation' Augment option set.
"And there was weeping, and gnashing of teeth."
In this case the feedback/complaint would be 'plz do better'. And no, it's not fine 'because Throne and Liberty does it this way' because in TL a 'true mage' is a Liberator or Invocator and Liberators have their 'Wind magic' in their bows (which is really just another type of Staff, right?) and Invocators have their 'ice magic' and 'curse magic' in their Wands. (and even extra sources of burning! I think! I don't even remember offhand, and I'm a wand user! Plz do better!)
Yep, it was in that link that Ludullu posted, on the 98th quote as they said.
Basically, they're happier with how the newer archetypes have been performing, so they're wanting to do another pass on the earlier ones to bring them up to standard.