So... tank mages...

[Corbinrow]

Still viable?

[Unbeliever]

Well there's no PvP and players don't really cast spells to kill mobs here unless they're just playing around, so I'd say no. Some players will still tell you yes but you need to look at it this way: at a certain point in history the game went from being all skill-based to being gear-based. That's why the 220 dex guide to "godmode" on our wiki is all about what gear you need and uber-players here have uber-weapons and relayered armor. While you definitely could play a spellcaster and work your way up, and build your gear set around your goal of tank mage, it would be unfair to call it viable. It would be fair to say it's like running a marathon with ankle weights on while dragging a sled. You technically can do it, but do you really want to?

[Corbinrow]

Thanks for that informative reply. I've played since beta. I'm the kind of player to cover his bases: PVP, Pk, and PVM. To survive, it required a well-rounded character. I did OK to the point of taking on Dragons, Demons and PKs, but these days, facing the amazing amounts of 6+ PK children on one, even back when there were as many blues hunting them, my builds are out-dated.

So, going straight-out basics works?

[Dramoor]

You could do whatever you want really...There is no skill cap for a character so you can have all skills 100 or 120 with ones that can use PS. So really it wouldn't be much diff as you could fight that way and other ways.

[Unbeliever]

Yeah, with no skill cap there really aren't any "builds". You max out your Str and Dex, max out your combat skills, buy the strongest armor and weapons you can, and go destroy the world. Most people use a 5-pack of pets as a stepping stone to reaching that uber status, typically starting with 5 mules then moving to 5 noble steeds or 1 mule/4 nobles, and there are slightly more options after you've worn those out.