Mage Class Guide: Playing the Spellcaster in Wanderer's Tale

The Mage is the glass cannon. It has the least health of any class and the strongest spells, which mostly ignore armor, work from any distance, and can freeze an enemy in place. If you like winning fights before the enemy ever reaches you, this is your class.

It is one of the four free classes in Wanderer's Tale, a free browser text RPG. You can start as a Mage in under a minute, no signup needed.

At a glance

• Starting health: 55 base, plus 4 for every point of Constitution above 10, set when you create the character (the lowest of the four free classes)
• Starting Mana (your ability resource): 60 base, plus 5 for every point of Intelligence above 10, set when you create the character (the highest of the four free classes)
• Starting bonuses: +3 Intelligence
• Starting skills: Arcana and Investigation
• Each level gives: +6 max health, +18 max Mana, +3 Intelligence, +1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution
• Starts with: an Oak Staff, Mage's Robes, a Small Health Potion and a Small Mana Potion

How the Mage actually plays

A Mage fights with spells, not with its weapon. Spell damage comes from your Intelligence and ignores whatever you are holding, so the staff in your hand matters for the Intelligence it adds, not for its damage numbers. A plain Attack with a staff is a weak melee swing, so treat it as a last resort.

Every Mage spell works at any distance. Most fights begin with the enemy several squares away, typically somewhere around 4 to 8, and walking toward you a little each round. That is your window. Whatever you do in those rounds happens before the enemy can touch you.

Spells that ignore armor

This is the Mage's quiet superpower. Armor does not reduce Fireball, Frost Nova or Blizzard at all. Arcane Surge ignores 85% of the enemy's armor, and Arcane Overload ignores 90%. Warriors and Rogues lose damage to heavily armored enemies. You mostly do not.

Spell damage scales with Intelligence. For example, with 20 Intelligence a Fireball does 14 to 20 damage and an Arcane Surge does 28 to 36.

Mana: a pool you have to budget

Your Mana is large but it only goes down in a fight. A Warrior builds Rage by taking damage and a Rogue builds Energy by attacking. A Mage does neither, so every spell is a decision.

Mana comes back in three ways:

• Mana Potions restore 25 Mana (15 gold), 60 (40 gold, level 4), 120 (80 gold, level 7) or 200 (180 gold, level 10). They are sold to Mages and Necromancers.
• Resting at the inn restores your health and Mana for a fee.
• Leveling up refills both.

At 20 Intelligence a new Mage starts with 110 Mana, enough for six Fireballs. Spend it on the enemies that matter, and do not arrive at a boss with an empty pool.

Abilities

Every Mage ability spends Mana. You unlock them as you level.

Early game (levels 1 to 9). Open with Fireball while the enemy is still walking toward you. Frost Nova at level 3 is the key spell: a slowed enemy cannot walk any closer for 2 rounds, which gives you two free turns. (It can still hit you if it is already next to you or has a ranged attack.) Arcane Surge at level 6 is your answer to anything with real armor.

Midgame. Blink is your panic button. It puts you at the far edge of the field and the enemy loses its next action entirely, which buys you a turn to heal or reposition. Mana Shield is free to cast, so there is no reason not to have it up before a heavy hit.

Late game. Blizzard is three hits and a slow in one cast, and none of it is reduced by armor. Arcane Overload is your finisher, and it rewards a full pool: it adds 60% of your current Mana to the damage, so cast it early in a fight while you still have plenty. It only costs 60.

Staves and robes by level

Choose gear for the Intelligence it adds. Every point makes all of your spells hit harder.

• The Heirloom Weapon perk (2 points at character creation) starts you with the Ancestor's Staff: +5 Intelligence from level 1, better than anything in the store until the Mage's Staff at level 5.
• Mages cannot wear heavy armor. Your protection is distance, slows, Blink and Mana Shield, not steel.
• Armor cuts damage by a percentage: your total armor divided by that number plus 40. Mage's Robes alone cut about 5%, so do not count on them.

Perks worth a look

If you use Customize at character creation instead of Quick Start, you get perk points to spend:

• Battle Hardened (1 point): +15 max health at the start. For a class with 55 health this is a very large boost.
• Heirloom Weapon (2 points): the Ancestor's Staff described above.
• Healer's Kit (1 point): start with an extra Mana Potion and Health Potion.
• Unbreakable (2 points): once per quest, survive a killing blow at 1 HP. A real safety net for a thin class.

If you roll your own stats, put your best roll into Intelligence, since it sets your starting Mana pool and powers every spell. Put the next best into Constitution for your starting health. After creation your health grows by a fixed 6 each level, so the starting number matters.

Common mistakes

• Meleeing with the staff. A plain Attack is weak. Use a spell, or Blink away.
• Burning Mana on easy fights. You cannot refill mid-fight except with potions. Save your big spells for enemies that threaten you.
• Letting enemies reach you. The approach rounds are your free damage. Use Frost Nova to extend them.
• Casting Arcane Overload on an empty pool. It scales with your current Mana. Cast it while you are still full.
• Buying staves for their damage numbers. Spells ignore your weapon. Buy for Intelligence.
• Skipping health potions. With the thinnest health in the game, a single bad round hurts. Carry them.

Start playing

Wanderer's Tale is free, runs in your browser, and does not need a signup to start. Pick Mage, name your character, and the first quest begins at the gates of Thornhaven.

Play Wanderer's Tale free

See also: Mage in the Codex, Mage's Staff, Mana potions, Apprentice Wand