>There's a reason you never see a mage retrieve pre-40 or
>actively defend either a counterraid or retrieval. This isn't
>just battle against battle, either. Other than a necro with a
>decent army no mage is going to retrieve against opposition.

Sure you will, as long as the opposition doesn't include a healer. You just have to do hit and runs. Wield a poisoning dagger, attack the outter, then word either as soon as someone comes or when you see them coming. If you want to try the risky version, tank them for a round or two then word. After an hour or two (or a few thousand gold) you'll eventually be able to wear down the outer, probably without dieing.

>They're pushed to the limit even without anyone in range.

Right, but maybe mages are supposed to be an elite set of classes. They're not supposed to be on-par with non-mages unless the player has loads of patience and area knowledge.

The staff has said repeatedly that they don't think mages need ABS, and they clearly aren't going to change their minds. So if you think they do you must be assuming one of the following:

1. The staff is ignorant. They just don't play, watch or keep stats on the game so they have no idea how mages balance against melee.

2. The staff hates mages. They know mages are weak, they just keep it that way to hurt your feelings.

3. The staff has different standards. They look at different things than you do, balance-wise.

1 is false, 2 is just stupid, so it's got to be 3. Unless, of course, you're just be wrong that they're underpowered and maybe mages really *can* go toe to toe with everyone else without a problem. Perhaps people who can't figure out how to make a mage as tough as a warrior in the 30s and 40s are just pathetic, stupid and worthless as players. That's also a possibility, though I personally don't believe that.

As far as I can tell, the staff just wants mages to be extremely conservative or group-oriented in the mid-ranks. That's just how it is and is going to continue to be. The ABS contest was a nice step towards making the system be less sheer-drudgery, but it doesn't change the fact that the staff simply doesn't want most mages to have significant damage reduction. As long as that's true, mages are going to stay balanced how they are now.

Bottom line: Mages are not for people who want to be competitive by themselves in the midranks, unless they have elite knowledge and skills.