A mage is normally party-dependant, like the cleric.
They're kind of backwards. A mage is dependant on a party for support, because if they're on cooldown/enemy is hitting them, then they need support in killing the monster before they die.
A cleric is party dependant because although they have survival capability, they kill slower.
Mages soloing is not very effective (if it's pure grinding), and I think that's why you're saying that mages are pretty weak. They're definately weak in terms of soloing and defense, but if they're in a party they're better.
You're saying that mages aren't great until higher levels. That's pretty wrong.
If everyone playing this game are bots (that party), then yeah, mages get much stronger after they hit lvl 60. But we're not bots, and word travels around. Because many people hear that mages are greater because of their AoE and nuking spells, even if it's after lvl 60, people start taking mages over archers at lvl 50 now, even lvl 40.
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