Three trees on the same skeleton
Fire carries 25 skills, Ice 26, Lightning 25, and the top skill of all three is at 80 points. The thresholds are the same too: 33, 35, 39, 42, 43, 45, 48, 51, 54, 56, 57, 60, 70, 72, 75, 80.
So whichever tree you pick, you have the same number of spells at the same level. Even the names mirror each other: Fire Burst / Ice Burst / Thunder Burst, Fire Blast / Ice Blast / Thunder Blast, Manes Of Fire / Manes Of Ice / Manes Of Thunder.
The only thing that changes is the numbers. And the difference there is more regular than you'd think.
Same threshold, three different damages
| Points | Fire | Ice | Lightning | Fire ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Burn · 168 | Freeze · 118 | Charge · 118 | 1.42 |
| 15 | Fire Ball · 308 | Ice Arrow · 216 | Lightning · 216 | 1.43 |
| 27 | Fire Spear · 588 | Ice Orb · 412 | Thunder · 412 | 1.43 |
| 35 | Fire Blast · 840 | Ice Blast · 588 | Thunder Blast · 588 | 1.43 |
| 43 | Specter Of Fire · 615 | Specter Of Ice · 431 | Specter Of Thunder · 431 | 1.43 |
| 51 | Pillar Of Fire · 1,260 | Ice Comet · 882 | Static Orb · 882 | 1.43 |
| 56 | Manes Of Fire · 1,015 | Manes Of Ice · 711 | Manes Of Thunder · 711 | 1.43 |
| 60 | Supernova · 1,800 | Frost Nova · 1,260 | Static Nova · 1,260 | 1.43 |
| 70 | Incineration · 2,500 | Prismatic · 1,750 | Stun Cloud · 1,750 | 1.43 |
| 70 | Meteor Fall · 2,100 | Ice Storm · 1,470 | Chain Lightning · 1,470 | 1.43 |
| 80 | Igzination · 3,000 | Freezing Distance | Blink | — |
The ratio isn't a coincidence: at thirteen separate steps fire gives exactly 10/7 of ice and lightning. 1,800 ÷ 1,260 = 1.4286; 2,500 ÷ 1,750 = 1.4286; 840 ÷ 588 = 1.4286. The same number from the first spell to the last.
Then why doesn't everyone pick fire?
The resistance number wipes out the difference on paper
Every monster has three separate element resistances and they're independent of each other. A target that's tough against fire can be open to lightning.
Concrete example: Troll King's fire and ice resistance is 1,000, its lightning resistance 56. An eighteenfold gap. Fire's 43% edge means nothing in that table. Talos is the opposite: lightning resistance 255, fire and ice around 25-28.
So the right question isn't "which element is stronger" but "which of this target's resistances is low". Resistance values per boss are on the boss times page, every monster's in the monster guide.
Ice and lightning have skills fire doesn't
The Ice tree gives Ice Barrier at 54 points instead of fire's Fire Thorn: 180 AC for 300 seconds. The same tree has Frozen Shell (120 AC) at 30 points and Frozen Armor at 12. So ice trades part of its damage for defense.
The Lightning tree has Light Shock at 62 points — a 5-second effect with a 180-second cooldown. Blink at 80 points isn't damage but a repositioning skill, and needs only 100 MP. The Fire tree's counterpart at 80 is Vampiric Fire: 3,000 damage over 20 seconds.
All three trees have a skill at 48 points giving 80 resistance to their own element (Immunity Fire, Immunity Cold, Immunity Lightning) and a 120-second armor spell at 75.
MP and cooldown decide too
The spells with the biggest damage are also the most expensive. Igzination needs 390 MP for 3,000 damage and a 15-second cooldown. Meteor Fall needs 600 MP and 18.3 seconds for 2,100 damage + 600 over time.
By contrast, Manes Of Fire at 56 points gives 1,015 damage for 95 MP with no cooldown at all. Looking at damage per MP, the lower-step spells can beat the upper ones.
That's why in practice the rotation isn't a single spell: you cast the long-cooldown one, and fill the gap with the cheap one that has no cooldown.
Mage's six trees
| Tree | Skills | Highest threshold | What it gives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 11 | 50 points | First spells, Escape and Magic Blade |
| Fire | 25 | 80 points | Highest damage, burning over time |
| Ice | 26 | 80 points | Damage + defense buffs |
| Lightning | 25 | 80 points | Damage + Light Shock and Blink |
| Extra | 8 | 23 points | Cheap passives and Guard Summon |
| Master | 3 | 1 point | Weapon master buffs, 1 point each |
98 skills in total. The point rule is the same as the other classes: 2 points per level after level 10, 146 points at level 83; the points put into a tree can't exceed your character level, so an 80-point spell opens at level 80 at the earliest.
How far do 146 points go?
The top of all three element trees is at 80 points. Taking two to 80 at once needs 160 points; you have 146 — so it doesn't work.
The workable splits are 80 + 60 and 70 + 70. Taking the second tree to 70 opens both of that element's 2,500 and 2,100 damage spells; stopping at 60 leaves you at the 1,800 Nova step.
This is exactly where carrying two elements makes sense: you can switch trees by the target's resistance. There's no return on piling all 146 points into one tree, because everything past 80 is empty anyway.
Fixing a wrong split costs 79.5 million coins at level 83; reset fees rise with level. Building the split first in the skill planner is free.
Common mistakes when building a Mage
- Looking only at the damage number. Fire is 43% ahead, but if the target's fire resistance is 1,000 that gap vanishes.
- Sprinkling points over all three trees. 146 points barely carry two trees; split three ways none of them reaches the top step.
- Putting all 146 points into one tree. The top threshold ends at 80, the remaining 66 points sit in that tree with no return.
- Ignoring MP cost. Meteor Fall needs 600, Igzination 390, Ice Storm 600 MP.
- Skipping the cooldown. Most of the top spells wait 15-21 seconds; you need a cheap spell to fill the gaps.
- Skipping the Immunity skills. All three trees have a spell at 48 points giving 80 resistance to their own element.
- Leaving the Master tree empty. Three skills cost 3 points in total and one makes magic power 130%.