Unfortunately, Mages don't get those spells until a very high level. Once they get them THEN perhaps they replace Archers but until then they're considerably weak for a Mage. Trust me, I know Mages and I make it my number one priority to study them and to find their pros and cons. And unfortunately the cons of the Mages in this game heavily outweigh the pros.
Obviously, a lot of people will disagree with me and I expect that. But I know what i'm talking about and its a shame no one else realizes this. And seeing as how i'm pretty much the only one who has a problem with the damage they do, this problem will never get fixed.
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