As someone who has deleted 4 mages 20-30+ in frustration,
I don't think I'm wrong when I say that the practice code
is screwing me over.

As a mage, I am not taking blows regularily. I do my best to
take blows WHENEVER I can. At level 30, my latest creation
had 76% shield block 75% parry. In the 20s, everytime I grouped
I was taking the blows every chance possible. In the 30s, mobs
were to strong for that.

In my various creations.. the only successfull way to do it was
to stop at 16 and SPAM for days. (16 so I had hand to hand to
help with parry).

This "forget about it and enjoy the game" mentallity is just plain
wrong for non-tankers. Support classes are getting shafted. The
learning curve at higher levels is not good enough. After level 20,
there didn't seem to be any mobs which I use to effectively practice
defenses (I've tried). After level 30, the situation is amplified.

After analyzing the situation, I blame the practice code for the
frustration I've faced. I do not like the choices: spend multiple
hours for a couple days maximizing defenses, or suck for the rest
of your life.