Mage

Overview
Mages rely on their skills as their main source of damage, and such attacks are magically based and only take into account the target's Magical Defense, and not their Physical Defense. Furthermore, all of a Mage's spells are elemental, thus meaning the accurate use of the correct spell against the correct monsters is highly important.

Job Changing
Once you are Job Level 10, head to the Mage Guild in northwest Geffen (geffen 63, 177). Talk to the Mage Guildsman, who changes your job to Mage and rewards you with a Rod [3].

Builds
This is the most common initial stat layout:

STR: 1

AGI: 9

VIT: 1

INT: 9

DEX: 9

LUK: 1

Stats

 * INT - One of the two most important stats for a Mage not going down the "Full Support" route (i.e. hoping to become an FS Sage with no INT). Every point in INT increases Minimum and Maximum MATK by 1. On top of that Min and MaxMATK receive an increasing bonus every 7 and 5 points respectively. INT also raises the character's maximum SP, natural SP recovery, SoftMDEF and resistance to certain status effects.
 * DEX - The other major stat for mage classes; Each point in DEX reduces spellcasting time by 1/150 or 0.66%. Most people when leveling a Mage get a massive amount of INT to begin with and only get DEX until later.
 * VIT - One of the two main "defensive" stats, it increases physical defense and maximum HP. WoE-oriented players often get around 30~50~100 (100 typically more for Sages) VIT for status-effect resistance, dropping a few points in INT or DEX. As a non-FS Mage, do not bother investing in VIT until becoming second class. Focus more on INT.
 * AGI - The second defensive stat, it increases flee rate and attack speed. An essential stat for battle-Sage builds, but the golden rule of getting high INT first still applies. A few Wizards in the past have favored this stat in experimenting with the skill Quagmire, though very high figures of AGI are needed (above 70), this seriously crippling cast time and WoE/PvP gameplay.
 * LUK - Every 10 points in LUK increase perfect dodge by 1 point. Some people opt for 9 LUK when making a Mage going Wizard, as perfect dodge from 9 LUK can help more often in a high spawn map than the minor flee from 9 AGI. Every 3 Points also will increase MATK by 1, It's suggested that Luk shouldn't be more than 11 base as the stat cost isn't really worth it, and Dex/Agi/Vit might be a better choice, as those stat affect your survival rate(fast cast can reduce the time of battle thus survival chance increase).
 * STR - Not many Mage players are keen in spending precious stat points in STR, but some might find use in increasing weight capacity and being able to carry more restorative items. Some battle-Sage builds also include STR as high as 50~70, though it's usually recommended to achieve high INT first to help leveling as a mage.

Equipment
Get any type of Staff as soon as possible. The increase in MATK is very helpful at low levels. Rods and Wands can be bought from the Geffen Weapon Dealer. A Guard would also be a good investment from the Armour Dealer for new players. Generally, aim to get as much armor as possible to increase the chance of surviving monster hits.

Although potentially expensive, a Heal Clip should be a top priority. This will help save loads of money that would have gone towards restoration items (i.e. Red Potions) and greatly increases leveling efficiency. Armor with Pupa Card (+700 HP) will help the most as a Mage, due to their low HP. INT enhancing cards and equipment (Elder Willow Card, Earrings, Mage Hat) tend to be more useful at this point than DEX equipment (Apple of Archer, Gloves, Drops Card), but it's really up to getting as much as the player can afford.