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1. Changing class 001
From Xenian to Apprentice: First of all, do the tutorial quests and learn the basics of the game. Upon completion of these quests, you'll be level 11. (If you need help with the tutorial quests, check this thread)
When you're level 16, go back to Brynhilld (Arcaninas Square) and talk to Reinmoth. Click on "Apply for Class change" and choose Apprentice. You'll be teleported to Magician's Convene. Talk to the NPC Beltran and change your class to Apprentice.

From Apprentice to Mage: *Warning: The 2nd Class Change quest is missing and you can't start it at the moment.* You can change to Mage at level 66. Once you are at that level, talk to Reinmoth and click on "Apply for Class Change". She'll give you the class change quest, which requires 1 Red Demon Blood, 1 Yellow Demon Blood, 1 Blue Demon Blood, 1 Armor of Tree and 1 Dream Staff.
(RDB is dropped by Houd!cks in the 3rd level of Mythril Mines, YDB is dropped by Dungdalis in Loren Valley and BDB is dropped by monsters in Scorging Plains. The Armor and Staff can be bought from the Essene Armory. The NPC won't accept +1 or AP equipments.)
If you mess up while doing the quest, you'll need to re-do the quest, which would require another set of Bloods and equipments. So if you need help with it, check this thread.

From Mage to Wizard: You can change to Wizard at level 96. Once you are at that level, talk to Reinmoth again and click on "Apply for Class change". She'll give the class change quest, which requires 2 Caricsobanas, 5 Yellow Watermelons and 1 Xen Stone.
(Caricsobana drops in Phildevilt Plateau and Lost Wedge Valley, YWM and Xens are rare drops in any map.)
Again, read the quest carefully.


2. Stat builds 002
Remember to put 1 point in POW when you're about to get a new staff, regardless of what build you're using!
And there's no stat resets, unless you buy a Rebirth Card from the Cash Store... So choose your build wisely.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Trashknight
My tip is only adding to Int until your 60's before you decide a build. (Some POW for the staff is obvious)

Other than that before those levels isn't really worth it now. ^_^'

Pure INT: Magicians using this will do a lot of damage, but cast a little slow. And can run of MP fast too, not as fast as the INT/MEN users though.
If you wish to use this, just put every single stat point you get in INT, but remember to add to POW when you get a new staff.

INT/MEN: Magicians using this won't do as much damage as pure INT users, but can cast slightly faster and get more criticals. Another good thing about this build is: It's more accurate than builds that don't use MEN. However, the fast casting will make you run out of MP very very quick.
According to this post, casting speed of pure INT and INT/MEN is not very different, but the damage of MEN users is low, which makes them use much more MP than pure INT users.
If you wish to use this, a 5:1 (INT:MEN) ratio is recommended, and remember to add to POW when you get a new staff.

INT/WIS: This is great if you don't want to use potions and like to sit when you run out of mp. But you'll be missing a lot of damage if you use this...
If you like to party a lot or want to level fast, do not use this build (parties require you to spam pots so everyone can kill non-stop and if you want to level fast you shouldn't be sitting every time you run out of MP)
If you wish to use this, a 5:1 (INT:WIS) ratio is recommended, and remember to add to POW when you get a new staff.

INT/MEN/WIS: People using this will be doing much less damage, but will be doing more crits than Pure INT and will have more MP. I don't recommend this because you'll be doing very low damage, and Magicians are supposed to deal the highest damage... Plus you won't get the maximum benefit from MEN and WIS.
If you wish to use this, a 5:1:1 (INT:MEN:WIS) ratio is recommended, and remember to add to POW when you get a new staff.


3. Combat Tips for newbies 003
1. Do NOT double-click a monster. This will cause you to attack it close-range with your staff, and that's just bad. You'll not only do 1-2 damage, but also take a lot of damage... If you don't know how to use skills, just click once on the monster and use a skill.
2. Always keep distance from the monster you are attacking. Like I said earlier, you'll take a lot of damage if you get hit. So to stay away from it, you must use Magic Ice as your first attack, then step back when the monster gets close. If needed, recast Magic Ice before it wears off.
3. Always carry MP Potions. It doesn't matter if you prefer to sit or pot spam, always have MP Potions. You might run out of MP in the middle of a fight.
4. Never run ahead of your party. Leave the tanking to the melees.
5. Use Magic Shield when you have it. It's absolutely not an useless skill, so at lower levels you should use it when you get mobbed, and at higher levels when the monsters are hitting harder, you should keep it on all the time to give some chance of surviving in case you get mobbed. And remember to always have Magical Tonics with you.
6. Avoid monsters with long range attacks. Since we have low defenses and our biggest advantage is the long range, fighting long ranged monsters is not good. But if you still want to fight them, carry HP Potions or use Magic Shield.


4. Skills 004
Yes there's the level up list where you can see at which levels you get new skills, but here I'm also going to explain what the skill do, what's the best way to use them, etc.

Remember, you can buy Apprentice skill books in Essene (talk to a Transporter to get there). Lv 2+ skills must be dropped by monsters or bought from other players. The same applies for Mage and Wizard skill books.

Magic Ice: Available right when you change to Apprentice. This is used for slowing the enemy down for 6 secs, allowing you to keep distance from it. Has a cooldown of 4 seconds. Always use this first before using any other skill.
Note that it may not work in maps that are too high level for you.
Ice lv 2 is a waste of MP unless you're partying at higher lv maps. Ice lv 3 slows much more than lv 1 and 2, so you should be using it as soon as you get it. Ice lv 4 slows only a little more than lv 3, so I recommend using lv 3 in parties, unless you are the only binder and have no tanker or are partying at high level maps, such as Sherwood at lv 76. Ice lv 6 has a higher slow rate and does about 50-100 more than lv 5.
Upgrades: Lv 2=Lv 36, Lv 3=Lv 56, Lv 4=Lv 76, Lv 5=Lv 96, Lv 6=Lv 116
MP Cost: Lv 1=9, Lv 2=13, Lv 3=17, Lv 4=21, Lv 5=25, Lv 6=29

Mind Buster: Also available right when you change. This is your main attacking skill until you get Magic Thunder. Nothing special about it.
Upgrades: None
MP Cost: Lv 1=7

Magic Thunder: Available at lv 21. This is pretty much like Mind Buster, except that it costs 1 extra MP, does more damage, has a slightly longer range and casts faster.
Thunder lv 2 is a waste of MP. Thunder Master Level should be used if you want to cast fast, otherwise stick with Magic Fire.
Upgrades: Lv 2=Lv 41, Lv 3=Lv 61
MP Cost: Lv 1=8, Lv 2=12, Lv 3=16

Clear Magic: Available at lv 26. This just cures the Magic status from an ally. Since only few maps have magic casters, this skill is useless outside of PvP.
Upgrades: Lv 2=Lv 46
MP Cost: Lv 1=11, Lv 2=7

Magic Shield: Available at lv 31. While it's on effect, any damage you take (excluding damage from poison, bleeding, etc.) will decrease MP instead of HP, up to 7 times.
It also reduces the damage by a certain percentage, depending on the skill level.
This is very useful if you get mobbed. While it may seem a useless skill at earlier levels, you should keep it on all the time when you're lv 60+
To use this skill you need a "Magical Tonic", which can be bought from the general store.
Upgrades: Lv 2=Lv 51, Lv 3=Lv 71, Lv 4=91, Lv 5=111
MP Cost: Lv 1=12, Lv 2=16, Lv 3=20, Lv 4=24, Lv 5=28

Magic Poison: Available at lv 36. Inflicts Poison status on the target, decreasing its HP over time.
It may not work in maps that are too high level for you.
This skill is useless outside of PvP, since you can do more damage faster with an attacking skill with the MP you'd use to cast this.
Upgrades: Lv 2=Lv 61, Lv 3=Lv 86, Lv 4=111
MP Cost: Lv 1=12, Lv 2=16, Lv 3=20, Lv 4=24

Magic Fire: Available at lv 46. Another basic attacking skill. You should use this as soon as you get it.
Fire lv 2 deals high damage, but the MP cost just makes me want to cry. You should use Fire lv 1/Thunder master lv in parties when you get lv 2.
Note about Magic Fire lv 2: When you use Fire lv 2 book, you need to relearn lv 1, since a "suckier" fire replaces lv 1 (one that deals half damage done by lv 2 and costs 10 mp)
Upgrades: Lv 2=Lv 71, Lv 3=Lv 96
MP Cost: Lv 1=13, Lv 2=22, Lv 0.5=10, Lv 3=28
(Lv 0.5 is the Lv 1 you get upon learning Magic Fire lv 2)

Concentration: Available at lv 51. This raises Skill Critical rate by 10 when you start hitting a monster, lasting for 1 minute. This is only good for MEN users.
To use this skill you need a "Concentration Tonic", which can be bought from the general store.
Upgrades: None
MP Cost: Lv 1=21

Lightning: Available at lv 56. Your first AoE (Area of Effect) skill. It damages all the foes within range. To aim it, you need to click on the ground. If you click on something else (pets, people, monsters), it won't work.
This is just very bad to use if you don't have Frost or a Scout that can use Brambleway.
Lv 2 Lightning uses 11 more MP and does about 100 more damage than lv 1.
Upgrades: Lv 2=81, Lv 3=106
MP Cost: Lv 1=31, Lv 2=42, Lv 3=53
Arrest: Available at lv 61. This is your first stunning skill. Yay!
So once you use it, the target will be stunned, will take only 1-2 damage from attacks, won't be affected by any status and the HP will regenerate faster. The effect will end after 20 secs or when you use UnArrest on the target...
It may not work in maps that are too high level for you.
And a tip when UnArresting: Hit (damage) the monster once before unarresting, so it doesn't go aggro right away. Or use Foger's technique if you don't have a spot for UnArrest on the hotkey bar.
Upgrades: None
MP Cost: Lv 1=30

Frost: Available at lv 66, MUST be a Mage. This is the second AoE skill. Hits all the foes around you, slowing them down for 10 seconds.
The cooldown is longer than the duration (12 secs), so don't get any bright ideas.
But Frost+Lightning is nice for parties or assist AoE. Read the "Assist AoE" section for more info.
Frost is also helpful when you solo and get mobbed. You can slow all the aggros and use Arrest or run, depending on the situation.
It may not work in maps that are too high level for you.
Upgrades: Lv 2=91, Lv 3=116
MP Cost: Lv 1=35, Lv 2=46, Lv 3=57
Icicle: Available at lv 76. This is the third AoE skill. Hits all the foes within range. Like Lightning, must click on the ground to aim it.
It usually hits each target twice, but that's not always the case.
In my opinion, I think Lightning is better than this. Around 50 more damage than the other AoE skill (if it hits twice), and costs 15 more MP.
Upgrades: Lv 2=101
MP Cost: Lv 1=46, Lv 2=59

Magic Beam: Available at lv 86. This is another stun skill, but it lasts for only 3 secs. The damage is very high, but there's a 23 secs cooldown.
Upgrades: Lv 2=106
MP Cost: Lv 1=26, Lv 2=29

Volcano: Available at lv 96, MUST be Wizard. Yet another AoE skill. Damage all the foes around the caster. I believe the range is the same as Frost's.
Upgrades: (At very high level so I won't mention it yet)
MP Cost: Lv 1=68

Magic Flame: Available at lv 106. Deals a lot of damage to the target (I'm not sure if it's higher than Magic Beam), inflicts Bleeding status and may stun. Has a 6 seconds cooldown.
Upgrades: (At very high level so I won't mention it yet)
MP Cost: Lv 1=23

Ice Ball: Available at lv 116. It's as powerful as Magic Flame, decreases the target's movement speed just like Magic Ice lv 5 and may freeze the target with low probability. Has a 3 seconds cooldown.
Use Magic Ice and Ice Ball for super slowing.
Upgrades: (At very high level so I won't mention it yet)
MP Cost: Lv 1=25


5. Where to train 005
If you need help with the location of these maps, check this thread.
This is only a base in case you're lost... You can try some maps ahead, or try monsters with dark red names. Be warned that soloing dark red maps requires A LOT of money for pots.
If you happen to find a better training spot for a particular level range, let me know. ^_^

Solo:
Lv 16-21: Routuer Valley / Callisto Gorge / Saifield Forest / Crossevon Path
Lv 21-24: Augilas Gorge / Bernald Forest / Trakian Path / Vreily Grove
Lv 25-31: Mystra Hill / Theglaia Forest
Lv 32-34: Mystra Basin / Othellos Forest
Lv 35-38: Luan Basin / Berdana Forest / Curior Forest / Bairyn Forest / Crosby Plains
Lv 39-42: Cyoren Forest / Colrona Forest / Felix Forest / Ashmon Hills / Ashely Forest
Lv 43-45: Ashton Basin / Shaio Forest (The Devil Fairies in Ashton are not aggro)
----------Harrington Forest / Grudin Forest (Devilies have long-range attacks)
Lv 46-50: Bailey Plains
Lv 51-53: Alicia Forest
Lv 54-55: Titanus Plains / Darive Plains
Lv 56-60: Skitchy Gorge / Vanderoll Plains
Lv 61-66: Proteron Gorge / Marque Basin / Scorging Plains
Lv 66-71: Rudwork Path
Lv 71-72: Loren Valley / Inkwell Plains
Lv 73-75: Kramer Forest / Presenal Plains
Lv 76-80: Chanthery Gorge / Edine Plains
(I need to work more on this. ._.)

Party:
(Note that any place with dark red names is good for partying)
Lv 46+: Rudwork Path (Get party starting at Titanus Plains)
Lv 54+: Loren Valley
Lv 61+: Chanthery Gorge
Lv 71+: Sherwood Valley (Get party starting at Jotunnheim/Loren Valley)
Lv 81+?: Turmeit Desert (Get party starting at Chanthery Gorge)
(I also need to work more on this. ._.)

Party or Solo?: At lv 10-50, solo is the best option and parties are mostly for when you get bored.
However, this changes when you hit the 50 range, since you can party in Loren and you can get a lot of exp there.
App/Mage+Scout/Archer duos are great too, thanks to the double slowing. You don't need to run around as much and can kill fast.

Remember, solo can make you some money and parties will probably burn your money. xD


6. Assist AoE 006
First of all, Assist AoE is only possible when you change to Mage and get Frost. Unless, of course, you already have Lightning and have a Scout with Brambleway or another Mage in the party.

"What to do with Frost? Ok now you're a Mage and wanna play with Frost!! Let's start with the basics.
Now that you have Frost, you are now considered a 'binder' in the AoE world. Your job is to assist the tank in killing and not get hit.

In order to do this you use your Frost, step back at a safe distance and use Lightning 2 times (you can do 3 but it's dangerous and Lightning is weird to use because you gotta click on the ground and sometimes in the heat of mob you will end up clicking on the ground before you press the Lightning hotkey and running around in circles), so after your 2nd Lightining, run off screen (if you can't see the mob, they can't see you), then run back to your tank and repeat the whole process.

That's what it is to be a binder!!

Also with another Mage or Scout in party, instead of running after 2 Lightnings, rotate with Brambleway/Frost. (One of you use Frost/Bramble, Lightning/Reticle Trap 2-3 times then have the other person use their AoE slowing)
This is the recomended way and way more safe. ^^ Bramble and Frost have the same cooldowns so same goes for Scouts.

Frost will also save your life in solo many times...

Also with Mage duo you can mass kill your own mobs without tank and not even get hit with syncronized binding, I call this 'Kite AoE'
Only try this when you're a pro at assisting tank and have the Frost cooldown mastered. O_O

Most of all remember...
Mages have the highest AoE damage and very useful skills that any class will appreciate... Get the most out of everything you got and have fun with whatever you do!! Don't let exp greedy tanks and ex-mages that changed class turn you all emo and make you reconsider your class. You're a Mage now, show some Mage pride... RAWR Sling that Frost foos! razz "


-By AnimePimp66


7. PvP 007
Refer to FogeR_StaRZ's PvP guide! I didn't write this section myself because I don't go to PvP.


8. Other interesting threads 008
Please don't reply to those threads if the last post was made more than 1 month ago.
Let me know if you found a thread that should be listed here. o.O

Apprentice Level Up List
Mages V.s Scouts (archers) & Archer-Mage Test results.
Underpowered Mages/Wizards
Mind Buster -vs- Magic Thunder
Is there a good mage money making guide?


9. Credits 009
Trente's Archer guide... just because I ripped off some sections from his guide. lol
Ameranth for giving info about Magic Flame & Ice Ball and MP cost of high level skills.
FogeR_StaRZ for giving additional info about Magic Shield, cooldown info for Magic Beam, Volcano's range, Caricsobana's 2nd location and some bits of info about Ice Ball and Magic Ice lv 6.
AnimePimp66 for telling me about the Unarrest's trick, giving some info on Icicle before I got it myself and writing the "Assist AoE" section.
Nights Fang for reminding me about the lv 25-34 training spots.


The End
Thanks for reading this huge thread. o.0 I hope this guide was useful for you. Feel free to post any comments, suggestions, corrections, etc.
And remember, most of the how-to-use each skill are based on my own experience and some forum lurking, they are there just to give an idea of what to do with each of them, so you're free to test them and use them as you want. The same goes with the training spots, they are just a base. Test out and see where it's better for YOU to train.