OK - I promised I wouldn't respond to these forums any more, but this was just too tempting...
Mages rock in DKS - if you're having problems, then it's your build. The only possible better build than a Mage is a DPS Rogue, and that's mainly because of the insane dual-wield bonuses.
If you're a mage then:
(1) Remember being a mage takes time to reap the rewards. If you try to fight with magic alone before you reach level 10-15, you're going to die. Use a bow at low levels - but concentrate on your mage build (int, followed by spirit), as it will reap rewards later.
(2) Dual wield, with maximum +magic damage on each weapon. In fact, all your enchants/charms/bonuses should focus on +magic damage or +int (because +int gives you magic damage bonuses). Spirit really isn't that important.
(3) Never under-estimate the power of "magic missile" - at top level (15/15) it will give you 7 missiles per cast. Each damage bonus you have will be applied to each missile. So 2 weapons (each with +100 magic damage) will give you 200 magic damage per missile, or 1,400 magic damage per cast at level 15/15. That's an extra 1,400 damage per 1.5 seconds...
(4) Once again - remember that damage is everything. If your spirit (magical stamina) is more than half of your int (magical damage), then you're not serious about a 'pure mage' build. As a 'pure' mage, you should be trying to kill before your enemies can even touch you, rather than having enough magical stamina (spirit) to survive a long battle - leave the long battles to the tank builds...
That said, there's many builds that work in DKS, not just 'pure' Mage builds. But you'd be surprised just how powerful a 'pure' mage build is once you reach level 30+ (by which time you'll be able to kill almost any non-boss monster in a single shot @ normal difficulty).
