Best PvE/PvP all purpose skill build

[Energizeric]

I've discussed this at length with others in my guild, but wanted to get the opinion of those here in the forum...

Like many other players, I pretty much play all different parts of AL on a daily basis. I can afford a respec once in a while, but not going to spend plat on a daily basis plus take the time to do respecs constantly. I really want to find one build and stick with it. I realize that it may not be 100% ideal for each specific purpose, but would like something that is at least pretty usable for everything. So what does "everything" consist of?

1) PvP Kills (would like to keep a positive K/D ratio)

2) PvP Flags (need to get lots of flags for Flag achievements -- need these to stay on leaderboards)

3) PvE Mobs (I try to solo WT4 at least a couple of time each day to keep my PvE kill total up and to level my pets up)

4) PvE Elite Bosses (I do at least a couple of Elite Mines runs each day)

The question is, is there a build that will allow me to do all of these and be decent at each of them?

Lifegiver is a must for Flags -- you can't even reach the other side of the maze with a flag without healing yourself...

And it seems like Lightning is a must because it's your best attack skill for PvP and for PvE bosses.

Other than those two, I'm up in the air about which to choose. I currently have Fire & Ice, but some people are suggesting maybe I drop one of them for shield which will help in PvP, which is a big weakness I currently have.

Any opinions?

[Spects]

Heres my 'Hybrid Build':
Fireball 4/5 (must for PvE/PvP)
Timeshift 2/5 (root-upgrade, must for PvE crowd-control)
Ice 3/5 (upgrade in 20% multi mob freeze and DOT, crowd-control and main dmg skill in PvP)
Shield 4/5 (must for PvP, useful vs certain elite bosses)
Heal 3/5 (mana-restorage, range upgrade, must for Pvp-Support, useful in PvE
No Lightning, got ice as main dmg skill instead.
Rest in passives (1.int 5/5, 2.str x/5, 3.dex x/5)

Having a decent 1,3:1 kdr so far and im not limited in elite runs.
Certainly not the best build (inferior to lightning mages in PvP) and needs some tweaking but overall im happy.

[Energizeric]

I think I'm going to do Fire, Lightning, Shield, Heal.

Yes, I do lose any ability to do crowd control since no Time or Ice. But with everyone doing Elite Mines instead of the regular Elite dungeons, there's really not such a big need. Besides the fact that sorcerers are so squishy now that Time or Ice is barely even sufficient to do crowd control before they mob you. As for farming kills in the tombs, I can still do that although it will just take a bit longer. But the shield will help there too if I get mobbed.

[Pyromagnium]

I have a video on Youtube explaining my build. But basically it goes like this...
5/5 Fireball - staple for sorcerers. I know many don't like the 25% hit debuff but I really have noticed it's usefulness coupled with my Dodge. I've avoided countless boss attacks and pvp hits. Good survivability.

4/5 Frost Bolt - No 20% ice patches. Besides the fact that it does AOE when charged, I also love it because the DoT stacks up to 4 times for great damage over time. Its crowd controlling properties (the freezing of mobs) and its great slowdown (for pvp) are invaluable. Much more utility than Lightning Strike imo.

2/5 Heal - Like you said, a must.

4/5 Shield - No knockdown. A must for elite bosses and PvP. New shield is great.

Passives:
5/5 Int - standard
5/5 Damage - standard
5/5 Strength - adds survivability and synergizes with the new shield. Also I feel sorcerers shouldn't be trying to stack dex. I just don't believe the marginal benefits you receive from dex are currently not worth it.

I do like Light. I really do, but I just feel safer with Frost in my rotation.

[Energizeric]

I watched your video. It makes lots of sense. Lightning would be better for PvP, but I understand what you mean about feeling "safer". In PvE not having any ability to do crowd control is a serious problem.

The only issue I see with having Fireball & Frost as your only attack skills is doing Elite Mines. You can't use Frost on a couple of those bosses as they feed on the ice, so you are stuck with only using Fireball and your weapon attack. Lightning is our best skill for bosses.

I've been playing around with the possibility of using Lightning instead of Frost but going a full 5/5 on it. That way you still have some AoE and stun capability when you charge. Although not as good (or as often) as Frost, the damage of Lightning is superior, and much more useful for bosses & pvp. Also, I've found when doing wt4 runs, charged lightning with the AoE upgrade works like a charm. It demolishes the crowds. Although on elite mobs it wouldn't be nearly as useful as it only triggers when you kill the primary target.

[bluotaku]

I watched your video. It makes lots of sense. Lightning would be better for PvP, but I understand what you mean about feeling "safer". In PvE not having any ability to do crowd control is a serious problem.

The only issue I see with having Fireball & Frost as your only attack skills is doing Elite Mines. You can't use Frost on a couple of those bosses as they feed on the ice, so you are stuck with only using Fireball and your weapon attack. Lightning is our best skill for bosses.

I've been playing around with the possibility of using Lightning instead of Frost but going a full 5/5 on it. That way you still have some AoE and stun capability when you charge. Although not as good (or as often) as Frost, the damage of Lightning is superior, and much more useful for bosses & pvp. Also, I've found when doing wt4 runs, charged lightning with the AoE upgrade works like a charm. It demolishes the crowds. Although on elite mobs it wouldn't be nearly as useful as it only triggers when you kill the primary target.

Which bosses shouldn't you use frost on?

[Energizeric]

I forget which ones, but a couple of them when you use frost it creates more ice patches all over the place.

[Pyromagnium]

I watched your video. It makes lots of sense. Lightning would be better for PvP, but I understand what you mean about feeling "safer". In PvE not having any ability to do crowd control is a serious problem.

The only issue I see with having Fireball & Frost as your only attack skills is doing Elite Mines. You can't use Frost on a couple of those bosses as they feed on the ice, so you are stuck with only using Fireball and your weapon attack. Lightning is our best skill for bosses.

I've been playing around with the possibility of using Lightning instead of Frost but going a full 5/5 on it. That way you still have some AoE and stun capability when you charge. Although not as good (or as often) as Frost, the damage of Lightning is superior, and much more useful for bosses & pvp. Also, I've found when doing wt4 runs, charged lightning with the AoE upgrade works like a charm. It demolishes the crowds. Although on elite mobs it wouldn't be nearly as useful as it only triggers when you kill the primary target.

Great points. I did not know that using Frost on certain Nordr bosses created more ice patches, but it makes sense. I'm also sure the damage is nerfed somewhat (I know Frost doesn't freeze those ice giants, making the crowd control aspect of ice dimished a bit). I'm interested in experimenting with Light. May I ask what sort of build you are using? Are you currently running with the Crit passive?

[Robhawk]

1. Shield 4/5 - gives me arround 2500 "extra hp", with pet/shield im close to 6000hp - must have for PVP and usefull in PVE
2. Fire 5/5 - nothing to say... PVP and PVE
3. Lightning 4/5 - must have for PVP and nice for PVE bosses

So these first 3 skills is the "everytime base built" and i add one of the following:

4. Gale 3/5 -it has a nice Pushefect, AOE dmg AND _Movingspeed_ for PVE, not that usefull in PVP, except the movingspeed.
4. Heal 2/5 - regain hp and mana sometimes makes the difference in PVP and you dont depend on green/blue packs! I also use it sometimes to support my party and is also nice at bosses /elite bosses for PVE

So this is the Robhawk setup and i can do everything with it! :)

[Energizeric]

Great points. I did not know that using Frost on certain Nordr bosses created more ice patches, but it makes sense. I'm also sure the damage is nerfed somewhat (I know Frost doesn't freeze those ice giants, making the crowd control aspect of ice dimished a bit). I'm interested in experimenting with Light. May I ask what sort of build you are using? Are you currently running with the Crit passive?

I do use Ribbit on occasion for bosses and sometimes in pvp. It works like a charm with Lightning and can help take bosses down much faster. The only issue is that in PvE you don't really have any crowd control. You only have the Fireball stun which only lasts a couple of seconds and then you are on the run. Lightning does stun on occasion (I think 25% with the upgrade). The coolest effect is when you have the lightning AoE upgrade and it triggers on mobs. In the tombs, it basically will wipe out all the mobs in what looks like a big electrical explosion. Only thing is it doesn't happen all the time.

So far this build has worked a little bit better for me in PvP. It took some getting used to and I was getting killed a lot in the first couple of hours, but I think that was mostly because I wasn't timing the shield very well. Now I've gotten the hang of that and it seems to be going well.

[Energizeric]

Well, here are the results:

1) For bosses in PvE, I'm doing just fine. I normally wasn't using Frost very much there anyway, so the combination of Fire, Lightning and then the gun is working just fine!

2) For mobs in PvE (wt4), I did have a bit of trouble. I normally like to solo wt4 a few times each day to get my kill totals up. Previously I was able to do this without using any healing potions. Now that is just not possible. Even with using the shield to protect myself, I just can't kill the mobs fast enough and in a couple of spots in that dungeon I need to spam health pots for a short period of time. I can imagine that elite mobs would also cause me some trouble without having any crowd control skills.

3) PvP -- this build is working excellent there, much better than expected. Since switching to this build, I have gone from a 1.3/1 (k/d) ratio to a 3/1. Here's a screen shot at the end of my most recent CTF game. BTW, I was holding the flag during this whole time.....

30533

[Pyromagnium]

Well, here are the results:

1) For bosses in PvE, I'm doing just fine. I normally wasn't using Frost very much there anyway, so the combination of Fire, Lightning and then the gun is working just fine!

2) For mobs in PvE (wt4), I did have a bit of trouble. I normally like to solo wt4 a few times each day to get my kill totals up. Previously I was able to do this without using any healing potions. Now that is just not possible. Even with using the shield to protect myself, I just can't kill the mobs fast enough and in a couple of spots in that dungeon I need to spam health pots for a short period of time. I can imagine that elite mobs would also cause me some trouble without having any crowd control skills.

3) PvP -- this build is working excellent there, much better than expected. Since switching to this build, I have gone from a 1.3/1 (k/d) ratio to a 3/1. Here's a screen shot at the end of my most recent CTF game. BTW, I was holding the flag during this whole time.....



Very interesting. So overall you seem pretty satisfied with the build and I'm assuming you'll keep it? I like to solo WT4 several times daily as well, so would you go with the AOE upgrade for Light? I'll mainly be PvPing for the foreseeable future and you've inspired me to respec and test Lightning Bolt for myself.

[Energizeric]

Very interesting. So overall you seem pretty satisfied with the build and I'm assuming you'll keep it? I like to solo WT4 several times daily as well, so would you go with the AOE upgrade for Light? I'll mainly be PvPing for the foreseeable future and you've inspired me to respec and test Lightning Bolt for myself.

Yeah, I did 5/5 on both Fire and Lightning. I figure if I'm going to limit myself to just 2 damage skills, I better milk them each for all they're worth and get every possible upgrade.

The AoE upgrade for Lightning is really awesome. It doesn't happen all the time like it does for Fire, but when it does trigger it causes huge damage -- much more than Fire. And on rare occasion you can hit the AoE with a critical hit and it basically kills everything instantly. It looks like a big lightning explosion and everything gets zapped and you are left standing in an empty hallway or room.

[Linkincena]

Been using the same skills.. Fire(every 4sec)400+ dmg, Lightning(every 3 secs)600+ dmg (2000+ on critical) , heal (1500 heal every 10 sec), Shield (1700 protection every 15 secs)...

I killed many warriors using this... even in solo...

[will0]

May I know how your build is? Pure damage 'int' or buffer with dex and strength?

[Linkincena]

Pure intell Max buffed with dex

[will0]

Pure intell Max buffed with dex

Thanks.. what do you mean buffed with dex pet?

[Asphiel]

Hello guys, i just started a mage (currently lvl 13) i'll focus on leveling but i dont know what skills to pick...
so i was wondering what would be the best leveling skills and what upgrades to get...

[Linkincena]

Thanks.. what do you mean buffed with dex pet?

Yes... Pet dex and passive dex

[Linkincena]

Hello guys, i just started a mage (currently lvl 13) i'll focus on leveling but i dont know what skills to pick...
so i was wondering what would be the best leveling skills and what upgrades to get...

Recommend : Fire (5/5) unlock,Lightning (4/5 unlock),Heal (2/5 unlock) and Shield (4/5 unlock)
Lightning : Ignore unlocking stun (last option there)
Heal: Activate only mana heal
Shield: leave away push back

[Asphiel]

no crowd control skills?

[Linkincena]

Fireball is your crowd control :)

[Deadroth]

Fireball is your crowd control :)

One won't handle all the mobs..

[Magician]

I've discussed this at length with others in my guild, but wanted to get the opinion of those here in the forum...

Like many other players, I pretty much play all different parts of AL on a daily basis. I can afford a respec once in a while, but not going to spend plat on a daily basis plus take the time to do respecs constantly. I really want to find one build and stick with it. I realize that it may not be 100% ideal for each specific purpose, but would like something that is at least pretty usable for everything. So what does "everything" consist of?

1) PvP Kills (would like to keep a positive K/D ratio)

2) PvP Flags (need to get lots of flags for Flag achievements -- need these to stay on leaderboards)

3) PvE Mobs (I try to solo WT4 at least a couple of time each day to keep my PvE kill total up and to level my pets up)

4) PvE Elite Bosses (I do at least a couple of Elite Mines runs each day)

The question is, is there a build that will allow me to do all of these and be decent at each of them?

Lifegiver is a must for Flags -- you can't even reach the other side of the maze with a flag without healing yourself...

And it seems like Lightning is a must because it's your best attack skill for PvP and for PvE bosses.

Other than those two, I'm up in the air about which to choose. I currently have Fire & Ice, but some people are suggesting maybe I drop one of them for shield which will help in PvP, which is a big weakness I currently hav

Any opinions?
I'm a big fan of mage in all mmorpg, and do have similar requirements such as urs when selecting skills for toon :)
Given the current skill set, other classes of character, spell slots availability, equipments, weapons and experience from my existing mage toon, I'm more skewed towards crowd control & support role. Tanking role should be left to warrior - high hp and armor. Single target DPS should be left to rogue - high dex, frequent critical. Thus, AoE role has to be sorcerer. Some might argue that sorcerer is able to fit in the DPS role, but you'll need very high critical % to make lightning worthwhile. Even with ribbit pet, the window frame for a crit buff would only last for 3 seconds, which is pretty short considering most sorcerers skills requires charging to be effective.

It is also not possible to fulfill all 4 options, with a single skill sets (4 spells + pet). I wouldn't commend much on PvP since I considered myself amature in AL's PvP system.
Generally, I would only consider these skills - fireball (4/5), shield (4/5), heal (3/5), lightning (5/5), timeshift (5/5), frost (4/5), gale (least favourite):

Fireball - hands down, best initiation skill for mage for PvE mobs (not elite boss). I skipped scroch, since the 25% miss rate only lasts for 5 seconds, and you already have a knockdown. Having both is overlapping. This skill is a must have against PvE mobs. With such big AoE, its pretty much guaranteed to hit big group of mobs/players.
Shield - It overcomes the 'squishiness' of mage. A must have skill for PvP & Elite bosses. Although the invulnerability option requires charging, I find it very useful when ur slowed/locked/within the range of boss special skills. It's like an 'OH ****' button needed for survival :apple: Spamming pots would not safe u from 1 hit KO from elite bosses.
Heal - The only class with the ability to heal mana. Yes, everybody favors this and assume you have this skill. Easier to join a party as it save team pots. With pure int build, usually a full mana recovery for warrior and rogue. Self cast heal by approximately 10% of ur mana - useful for solo as well. Time well with warrior's taunt to divert creeps aggro. I believe HoT (Heal over time) would be buffed in the future, since its a joke now, so I've skipped these for now. Otherwise, would be 5/5 upgrade. However, if your perception is to be a DPS role despite what I've mentioned above, you may choose to ignore this skill totally.
Lightning - I personally dislike this skill, since its very much luck base. First, the targeting system. The lightning doesn't always nuke the mob that u wanted (i.e. low hp). There's also occasions where the targeted creep died before ur lightning hits (team kills it), rendering it hitting targets that would not be killed in 1 lightning even with crit, thus, no chance to splash the lightning to other mobs. Second, to make the skill worthwhile, you'll need very high crit % to trigger the 250% damage. As mentioned above, the existing equipments doesn't warrant a consistent crit, in comparison with rogue with similar base items. Going for crit build would mean your forgoing on base damage. Third, low splashing percentage. The success of the splash very very much depends on being the last hitter and luck (25% even with charged lightning). BUT, it might be worthwhile in PvP and elite bosses, as its considered the highest single target spell for mage. I disagree with general consensus on stacked frost dot being the highest, as many bosses are immune to slow. Assuming future expansion would bring in better equips, I would consider crit build, since mage able to spam low cd spells and its fun to see lots of crit numbers.
Timeshift - Very useful spell for PvE mobs, even more so if u intend to solo mobs intensive areas. Usually cast after charged fireball, or dropping it first if the warrior is tanking the creeps. The main reason this skill was chosen was for its root ability, buying time for urself to cast other spells, block the route to prevent all damage focusing on tanker, as well as to drop a second clock. Secondary effect being DoT, especially in WT4, its amazing to see crit numbers from time DoT :apple: Personally, I've also upgraded the explode option to fully utilise the clock's damage. Assuming if heal and lightning were selected, we're left with lesser options for damaging skills. Although this skill requires casting it within melee range, fearnot, cast shield to absorb the damage while charging front to drop clock!
Frost - Shines in handling small pool of elite mobs (not boss). Mob could be permanently freeze. DoT stacks for targets which can be slowed/stunned. 1/5 chance to slow big group of mobs, in fact the aoe is quite decent. Though, I dislike this portion - luck base (20% chance) to freeze groups of mobs. Fireball/Timeshift owns in terms of disabling creeps. I very much disagree with some posters on stacked frost being highest single damage skill, since most boss cannot be slowed/stunned - we're better off spamming skills due to how skill damage works. Not sure whether u could perma freeze players in PvP....lol. If it could, this is a must have skill for PvP build.
Gale - Haven't had an intensive tryout on this skill. Often used as a finisher after charged fireball, to push out creeps after clock's down, to spread out mobs (understand your radius and time it well). In short, crowd control. I reckon gale could be quite useful in PvE elite mobs for knockdown effect, and PvE boss, since it buffs the dodge rate and speed (knockdown effect useless here). Could be useful in PvP if you intend to go for lockdown build, forfeiting either shield/heal. Though, this skill doesn't blends well with others (eg. timeshift's root, fireball, ice) as it pushes and scatters away the targets from you.

All in all, I would suggest the following build (excluding gale):
1) PvP (including flag): shield, heal, fireball, lightning
I prioritise survivability over dps. You could carry out more task by surviving. Assuming ice does perma freeze, then by all means replace fire with ice.
If u reckon u need only either shield/heal, replace either with timeshift/gale -> what is ur agreed role in PvP?

2) PvE mobs (for tough creeps): shield, heal, fireball, timeshift
Sustaining team is more important here. Cumulative DPS from parties and leaving the DPS role to rogue works out better.

3) PvE mobs (for farming - if survivability isn't an issue; teaming with decent tanker): heal, timeshift, fireball, lightning

4) PvE elite boss (with mobs around): shield, heal, timeshift, fireball
Our role as crowd control shines here. Due to how the spell targeting system works, its better of doing aoe damage, rather than single DPS.

5) PvE elite boss (solely boss): shield, heal, timeshift, lightning
Again, survivability comes first. Assuming if you have decent parties, understand how the boss reacts and being able to kite the boss, you might consider using a well-placed timeshift like me. Overall, it does more damage than fireball, despite longer cooldown. However, if you feel the boss is too risky to stay near, by all means, replace ur build to option (4). If ur a risk taker like me, and enjoy challenging boss, stick with (5) :)

6) An all-rounder like what I'm currently using after much analysis: Upgrade these skills - fireball, timeshift, heal, shield, lightning
Less passives skills, but with wider skill sets, allowing you to tailor accordingly to the situation warranted.
With the recent buff on shield, it's a must for PvE elite maps and PvP (unless you have other strategies in mind).
I used heal in almost all my build as it saves the team heaps of pots, allows the team to progress at a faster pace (less worry about pots - in fact, some players are stingy in mana pots, thus not using skills unless their mana were being filled up...lol), and personally prefer to occupy the babysitter role and being a partial damager.
I've also dropped ice, due to the uncertain factor (20%) and the choice of other better skills.
I'm also in the midst of analysing the usefulness of gale, on the contrary of most beliefs (displacement of mobs). Fill further look into it after my exams. Perhaps others could give a more in-dept guide on using gale :)

Hope this post contributes to what you're looking for.

[Robhawk]

I'm a big fan of mage in all mmorpg, and do have similar requirements such as urs when selecting skills for toon :)
Given the current skill set, other classes of character, spell slots availability, equipments, weapons and experience from my existing mage toon, I'm more skewed towards crowd control & support role. Tanking role should be left to warrior - high hp and armor. Single target DPS should be left to rogue - high dex, frequent critical. Thus, AoE role has to be sorcerer. Some might argue that sorcerer is able to fit in the DPS role, but you'll need very high critical % to make lightning worthwhile. Even with ribbit pet, the window frame for a crit buff would only last for 3 seconds, which is pretty short considering most sorcerers skills requires charging to be effective.

It is also not possible to fulfill all 4 options, with a single skill sets (4 spells + pet). I wouldn't commend much on PvP since I considered myself amature in AL's PvP system.
Generally, I would only consider these skills - fireball (4/5), shield (4/5), heal (3/5), lightning (5/5), timeshift (5/5), frost (4/5), gale (least favourite):

Fireball - hands down, best initiation skill for mage for PvE mobs (not elite boss). I skipped scroch, since the 25% miss rate only lasts for 5 seconds, and you already have a knockdown. Having both is overlapping. This skill is a must have against PvE mobs. With such big AoE, its pretty much guaranteed to hit big group of mobs/players.
Shield - It overcomes the 'squishiness' of mage. A must have skill for PvP & Elite bosses. Although the invulnerability option requires charging, I find it very useful when ur slowed/locked/within the range of boss special skills. It's like an 'OH ****' button needed for survival :apple: Spamming pots would not safe u from 1 hit KO from elite bosses.
Heal - The only class with the ability to heal mana. Yes, everybody favors this and assume you have this skill. Easier to join a party as it save team pots. With pure int build, usually a full mana recovery for warrior and rogue. Self cast heal by approximately 10% of ur mana - useful for solo as well. Time well with warrior's taunt to divert creeps aggro. I believe HoT (Heal over time) would be buffed in the future, since its a joke now, so I've skipped these for now. Otherwise, would be 5/5 upgrade. However, if your perception is to be a DPS role despite what I've mentioned above, you may choose to ignore this skill totally.
Lightning - I personally dislike this skill, since its very much luck base. First, the targeting system. The lightning doesn't always nuke the mob that u wanted (i.e. low hp). There's also occasions where the targeted creep died before ur lightning hits (team kills it), rendering it hitting targets that would not be killed in 1 lightning even with crit, thus, no chance to splash the lightning to other mobs. Second, to make the skill worthwhile, you'll need very high crit % to trigger the 250% damage. As mentioned above, the existing equipments doesn't warrant a consistent crit, in comparison with rogue with similar base items. Going for crit build would mean your forgoing on base damage. Third, low splashing percentage. The success of the splash very very much depends on being the last hitter and luck (25% even with charged lightning). BUT, it might be worthwhile in PvP and elite bosses, as its considered the highest single target spell for mage. I disagree with general consensus on stacked frost dot being the highest, as many bosses are immune to slow. Assuming future expansion would bring in better equips, I would consider crit build, since mage able to spam low cd spells and its fun to see lots of crit numbers.
Timeshift - Very useful spell for PvE mobs, even more so if u intend to solo mobs intensive areas. Usually cast after charged fireball, or dropping it first if the warrior is tanking the creeps. The main reason this skill was chosen was for its root ability, buying time for urself to cast other spells, block the route to prevent all damage focusing on tanker, as well as to drop a second clock. Secondary effect being DoT, especially in WT4, its amazing to see crit numbers from time DoT :apple: Personally, I've also upgraded the explode option to fully utilise the clock's damage. Assuming if heal and lightning were selected, we're left with lesser options for damaging skills. Although this skill requires casting it within melee range, fearnot, cast shield to absorb the damage while charging front to drop clock!
Frost - Shines in handling small pool of elite mobs (not boss). Mob could be permanently freeze. DoT stacks for targets which can be slowed/stunned. 1/5 chance to slow big group of mobs, in fact the aoe is quite decent. Though, I dislike this portion - luck base (20% chance) to freeze groups of mobs. Fireball/Timeshift owns in terms of disabling creeps. I very much disagree with some posters on stacked frost being highest single damage skill, since most boss cannot be slowed/stunned - we're better off spamming skills due to how skill damage works. Not sure whether u could perma freeze players in PvP....lol. If it could, this is a must have skill for PvP build.
Gale - Haven't had an intensive tryout on this skill. Often used as a finisher after charged fireball, to push out creeps after clock's down, to spread out mobs (understand your radius and time it well). In short, crowd control. I reckon gale could be quite useful in PvE elite mobs for knockdown effect, and PvE boss, since it buffs the dodge rate and speed (knockdown effect useless here). Could be useful in PvP if you intend to go for lockdown build, forfeiting either shield/heal. Though, this skill doesn't blends well with others (eg. timeshift's root, fireball, ice) as it pushes and scatters away the targets from you.

All in all, I would suggest the following build (excluding gale):
1) PvP (including flag): shield, heal, fireball, lightning
I prioritise survivability over dps. You could carry out more task by surviving. Assuming ice does perma freeze, then by all means replace fire with ice.
If u reckon u need only either shield/heal, replace either with timeshift/gale -> what is ur agreed role in PvP?

2) PvE mobs (for tough creeps): shield, heal, fireball, timeshift
Sustaining team is more important here. Cumulative DPS from parties and leaving the DPS role to rogue works out better.

3) PvE mobs (for farming - if survivability isn't an issue; teaming with decent tanker): heal, timeshift, fireball, lightning

4) PvE elite boss (with mobs around): shield, heal, timeshift, fireball
Our role as crowd control shines here. Due to how the spell targeting system works, its better of doing aoe damage, rather than single DPS.

5) PvE elite boss (solely boss): shield, heal, timeshift, lightning
Again, survivability comes first. Assuming if you have decent parties, understand how the boss reacts and being able to kite the boss, you might consider using a well-placed timeshift like me. Overall, it does more damage than fireball, despite longer cooldown. However, if you feel the boss is too risky to stay near, by all means, replace ur build to option (4). If ur a risk taker like me, and enjoy challenging boss, stick with (5) :)

6) An all-rounder like what I'm currently using after much analysis: Upgrade these skills - fireball, timeshift, heal, shield, lightning
Less passives skills, but with wider skill sets, allowing you to tailor accordingly to the situation warranted.
With the recent buff on shield, it's a must for PvE elite maps and PvP (unless you have other strategies in mind).
I used heal in almost all my build as it saves the team heaps of pots, allows the team to progress at a faster pace (less worry about pots - in fact, some players are stingy in mana pots, thus not using skills unless their mana were being filled up...lol), and personally prefer to occupy the babysitter role and being a partial damager.
I've also dropped ice, due to the uncertain factor (20%) and the choice of other better skills.
I'm also in the midst of analysing the usefulness of gale, on the contrary of most beliefs (displacement of mobs). Fill further look into it after my exams. Perhaps others could give a more in-dept guide on using gale :)

Hope this post contributes to what you're looking for.

Good post but i love Gale for PvE and farming cause its the only skill to give us a quicker movement and this lasts for 5 seconds, CD is 5,5 seconds. So you can nearly walk with 25% movementspeedincrease all the time if you want. I would love to use it in PvP too, cause every rogue/warrior catches up easily and you know gonna die... But shield/heal is mus have, so is fire/light and there are only 4 Skillbuttons, would love a 5.! ;)

[will0]

i had respec and using Fire 5/5 light 5/5 shield 4/5 heal 3/5 ... often pvp i get stun can't do alot .. 1 mage + 1 warrior i am dead

[Energizeric]

i had respec and using Fire 5/5 light 5/5 shield 4/5 heal 3/5 ... often pvp i get stun can't do alot .. 1 mage + 1 warrior i am dead

That is going to happen no matter what skills you have.

[Natrich]

Another option is to use points on 5+ skills, youre not forced to stock on passives

[Popamollyswtn]

Another option is to use points on 5+ skills, youre not forced to stock on passives
I mostly pvp so I want my Passives but I honestly never thought of this. When I get unbanned ill be testing so ill take a few points out of Passives

[Magician]

I'm using an additional skill too. Been considering to replace lightning with gale...lightning kinda unpredictable for me, and many times it hits a dead creep (probably due to delay).Aside from the key upgrades (int+str), another reliable upgrade in the future probably will be the damage upgrade (5%). For now, I doubt we'll lose out much by skipping a passive upgrade since the difference is minimal.

[Alhuntrazeck]

The build ur using is the best, geezer. I have frost as an additional skill for mobs in regular elites though. You might try considering that. I've sacrificed one passive int, STR, for frost and instead going for INT. When the next level cap arrives, I'll be putting a STR passive, seeing as health is very important.

[Spects]

Imo Energ`s build is not the best hybrid build. Best for PvP? Yes, but too flawed at PvP.
Gaieje`s build (Level by Level Skill Guide thread) is the best I`ve seen so far and it still needs tweaking.
Only relying on fireball as crowd control skill is pretty much suicidal at elite maps,
especially when the plat shortcut known as nordia mines close their doors (remember, it`s only available for a limited time).
Since I got my mythic gun I sacrified some passive ability points and rather spent them on timeshift(2/5),fireball(4/5),Ice(2/5),Lightning(4/5),shield(4/5),heal(3/5), rest
int and str passives. I don`t need dex passive anymore thanks to the mythics huge damage.
I`m sure this build would work with the borean rifle as well.

[Alhuntrazeck]

Let me go more in-depth into the ways I use my build:
PvE
I use Fire, Ice, Shield, Heal for mobs and when the tank doesn't do its job well, Fire, Ice, Lightning, Heal for when I get a good tank, Fire, Lightning, Shield, Heal for the boss as survivability is more important than hitting hard for bosses.

FIRE: I use it because of its damage and amazing crowd control (cc). Its knockback and DoT is also very useful. This skill is the best of all, without a doubt.

ICE: I use it for mobs. Its cc is also good, and that's wat I use it for, not hitting very hard. Like the freezing and ice patches thing, they work well on large mobs.

LIGHTNING: I use this for PvE bosses or sometimes sacrifice it for shield at mobs (since lightning is useful for elite mobs as they're so dang tough). It hits hard, has a chance to AoE, and has amazing damage at crit.

SHIELD: I use it for elite maps when the tank isn't as good as its supposed to be or when I'm supposed to run across an area, like straight to the boss. Its useful for survivability. I also use it for bosses because survivability is more important than hard-hitting like I said above.

HEAL: Heal is heal. When ur gonna die, use it to save yourself and ur allies and save some health pots. Mana upgrade is decent when used on yourself and excellent for others.

I also use 5/5 INT passive.

PvP
I use Fireball, Lightning, Shield and Heal for PvP. The reason why I used 2 slots for defense is because survivability, as a mage, is more useful than hitting hard...seeing as we're so squishy.

My hybrid build:
Fire, Light, Shield, Heal.

So yeah, that's it, I'm finished. Hope you found this useful.

[Azemeazed]

this is copy/paste from my other post/thread:

"my setup is 4fire, 4ice, 4heal, 4shield, 5int, 4dex, rifle

i made alot of testings and i had to come up with single build that is good for elites, soloing and pvp.
sure heal is not that good in elites since you pull agro, sure lightning is stronger in pvp than ice, sure clock is awsome in soloing wt4. But what with other skills on other maps/modes...

you need heal for soloing if you dont wanna spend lots of gold on medications, you also need heal in pvp to escape death. Heal is not that good in elite, but these other 2 scenarios need heal very much.

shield is not so important in soloing, but in pvp you must have it if you want to survive aimed shot, in elites also it comes handy to cast it when warrior fail agro. with shield you can also cast heal in elites, just cast shield and heal after it and warriors will have time to pull back agro from you.

ice is great aoe skill and very strong skill in pvp, i just love when i freez elite groups of monsters, or bunch of normal mode monsters in soloing. lightning for pvp would be stronger but than again i need cold for soloing and elites.

fireball is just fireball, no extra words needed :-)

clock... it is a great skill, couse you can easy solo wt4, but than again in hauntlet i found ice better use, in pvp clock is good to escape deadly situations, but i found out, for me, better way to escape... just run and shoot behind your beck and evenrually the follower will die :-)
cold is also better in elites couse you can freez those ranged monsters, not only slow their move.

all in all i tried lots of setups and this one is best for my playing style... maybe someone like to play dangerously without shield and heal, but i dont :-) maybe someone likes or is more used to clock than ice, but i dont :-) afterall it all depends of your playing style and what you like more. thats one of the reasons why this game is so good, you dont have ultimate, strongest setups, even gear is very adaptable to players styles, someone likes more health, someone more dps, someone more crit, someone more armor..."

There are some little changes since now im lvl 31, i have same skills but dex is 5 now and i have 4 str passive. And i dont solo hauntlet for kills now but kraken mines lvl3.

[katish]

I think the only way to be effective in both PVP and PVE is to have a 5th skill at the expense of passive boosts.. I did that for about a week, had clock with root upgrade only - so damage was compromised a bit, but I was still effective in crowd control and could rock bosses butts!

[Alhuntrazeck]

Yeah 5 skills are the way to go, even if you do sacrifice on one passive (which is not quite so important as compared to another skill).