Welcome to the family. You're now a mage, or at least in the process of becoming one. The first few days will be a bit awkward, but ultimately rewarding. We'll help you through those first steps that seem to be the most daunting, and from there you can forge your own destiny.

Before we get going, we should take some time looking at the Magic Amplifier (formally the Magic Staff, and briefly the Magic Gloves), a tool all mages will want to use at all times. It acts as a channeling focus for us, and increases the effectiveness of our spells by a huge margin. It also lets us fight using the Hand to Hand skill tree, which is a life saver when we run out of Sap. Try getting a hold of one with a quality level equal to or slightly greater than your magic level - you'll reap the most benefit from one of those, and they tend to scale in price.

Armor is a luxury we really can't afford. We have the option to wear heavy armor, but the penalty it imposes on both spell casting time and energy consumption renders it more harmful than protective. Light armor carries no penalty, but it doesn't offer any protection than a normal set of clothes would. Whatever you decide to wear, make sure it only has one star in its inventory image, as that denotes the material as light.

The early life of a mage is painful, to say the least. Currently, your starting spell is limited to Heal Life 1, which can only be cast on other players, which means you have to group with others for five levels until you get the opportunity to purchase Acid 1. There's talk of the beginning spell being changed to Acid 1 soon, which will alleviate a lot of the headaches of the first few minutes of your character's existence. However, we have to make due with what we have, so get into a group and heal your teammates like crazy until you hit level six, whereupon you can get your first of many damage spells.

Once you purchase Acid 1, the world opens itself to you. Suckling Yubos tremble at your mighty wake. Get used to this; it'll happen throughout your illustrious career. But you'll need to reinforce that reputation, so get to killing. Nuke your way through as many Yubos as you can get your hands on, and be sure to loot whatever you can to cover the cost of your Magic Amplifier and your armor.

As you level a bit more, you'll be able to purchase Cold 1, which deals effective damage against Kitins. You'll also have the option to purchase Rot 1, which works best against plant species, and deals damage over time. As a rule of thumb, Acid works best against monsters without shells - Yubos, Gingos, etc. Cold is best against those monsters with carapaces, and Rot is devastating against plants. Using the three will provide you a full array of opponents to kill, and you can ride the three all the way up to level 20 and beyond.

There's more to magic than unmitigated damage, of course. Your first opportunity to explore the less aggressive nuances of the art appears at level 5, when you have the chance to purchase Fear 1 and Life Gift 1. The Fear line of spells, obviously, instills pure terror into your target, causing it to flee. Life Gift 1 is similar to Heal 1, only rather than costing Sap to cast, it siphons some of your life and channels it into your target. Bear in mind, however, spells such as Fear and Root are known as Link spells, which require you to use no other actions or move while they are in effect. Your mental link with your target requires too much concentration for you to be able to bother with other tasks. They are, however, invaluable in group play, and shouldn't be overlooked. This early in the game, it's a good rule of thumb to pick up either a few link spells or invest in the heal line, rather than purchasing both. You can enjoy being eclectic in a few levels, but for now just focus on the essentials.

There are also a few self support spells made available in these early stages. The first available is Self Heal Sap 1, which replenishes your Sap pool by 100 points. Additionally, the Self Heal Life line becomes purchasable a few levels down the line. Keeping up to date on these will save your life, especially when soloing.

Once you reach level 15 or so, it might be a good time to take a look at the spell database we have available on the site, located here. It'll give you a good idea of what you have laid out before you for the span of your character's existence, and allow you to plan more thoroughly than what can be provided in any guide. Your character is ultimately yours, and your unique input is what will make you a great mage.