Based on the conversations in this section of the fourm,there is no doubt in my mind that mages are meant to spam dual wielded wand attacks
That works (and is pretty essential sometimes) until level 3 or so, yes.
Once you get to level 4 you have far better options.
Once you get to level 9 or later you would be mad to do that. You are doing far less damage and basically ignoring the (limited) advantages of being a mage.
If you are only using your basic attack in later levels then you'll find it hard. I did do a playthorough as Fane with warfare and staff. It was fun but not that efficient really. I died quite a lot.
I am using a custom human character. So far I am at level 13 with a Legendary staff and dressed in a full plate.What makes mages not fun for me is the fact that unlike warriors and rouges,they traded cc for dots,and whatever CC mages have left is......well......shocked+rain/water arrow to turn into stuned,but if the water surface touches a companion there is a risk of complications. The other form of CC is Dominate Mind....hit them with staff until their magic armour drops,then brainwash them.
Ow I almost forgot about Oil Magic (fosil strike and it's bigger brothers) - free cc and damage,just keep your allies clear of the impact damage. I agree,past level 4 you can start to deal decent damage...but elemental mages are about applying dots through direct damage (fossil strike+fireball for instance) or by creating damaging surfaces (dazling bolt+rain) that do the dirty work for you and alternating between auto attacks and spells for me is the best strategy for a pure mage to deal consistent damage.....or you can just blow all your spells in one go hopeing they crit,then use Apotheosis,the strongest source skill in game.
Had I made a custom undead elf instead of a human,I would have probably been able to take more risks,the points I put early on into Poly for Chameleon Cloak and Wings would have went somewhere else....but even so I regret the fact that we do not have a single target spell that makes characters wet and deals water damage and chilling touch as it would have made staff wielding battle mages competitive with necro knights in terms of CC and sustain.
