Why do wizards feel so weak?

[Tenebris-Niatellim]

I looked up a build for a wizard and decided to run with a pale trapper build someone made. I got it to lvl 5, and also started a barbarian...

I was shocked to see that my barbarian had a lot more hp did a lot more damage (30ish normal dmg 80ish crits) and could do everything my mage could except better.

Is it because I took a level of rogue initially? My wizard spells do like 25ish damage, takes time to cast and is pretty slow, my buffs are nice but still i'm confused at how it's balanced if melee classes seem to have better survivability and damage.

Do wizards scale amazingly into late game or something? Or am I doing something wrong?

[unbongwah]

Do wizards scale amazingly into late game or something?

Yes. Most spells scale up in power with caster level; so the Acid Arrow you cast at wiz lvl 4 is a lot weaker than the one you cast at lvl 10. You also get more powerful spells, more SPs to fuel your spells, and as a Pale Master you'll gain instakills like Finger of Death.

Melees scale up in power too, of course, but it's not as steep of a power curve. As in PnP D&D, you basically have to endure low-lvl gimpiness to get to the sweet, sweet caster-y goodness at higher lvls.

[Tenebris-Niatellim]

Yes. Most spells scale up in power with caster level; so the Acid Arrow you cast at wiz lvl 4 is a lot weaker than the one you cast at lvl 10. You also get more powerful spells, more SPs to fuel your spells, and as a Pale Master you'll gain instakills like Finger of Death.

Melees scale up in power too, of course, but it's not as steep of a power curve. As in PnP D&D, you basically have to endure low-lvl gimpiness to get to the sweet, sweet caster-y goodness at higher lvls.

thanks for the assurance, I got this close to re-rolling my wizard because it was so disappointing, I guess I'll keep at it!

Also as a sidenote what weapons should I be using? and spells? I took enhancements in ice and acid so should I be using those spells etc?

[AbyssalMage]

thanks for the assurance, I got this close to re-rolling my wizard because it was so disappointing, I guess I'll keep at it!

Also as a sidenote what weapons should I be using? and spells? I took enhancements in ice and acid so should I be using those spells etc?

At your level, a 2HW + Masters Touch = Lots of dead things. If you wanna play like a caster and not an angry wizard you will want two (2) wands with Acid/Cold focus/lore.

My PM is Ice/Acid/Lit spec'ed so your are fine.

Asking about spell line up is like asking people what their favorite food/movie/sport/ect... is, it will vary.

My preference (and only my preference)...
Level 1 (4); Master's Touch, Acid Spray (or sonic blast, Niac's), Expeditious Retreat, Jump
Level 2 (3); Web, Acid Arrow, Blur (Knock, Bull's Strength)

If grouping:
Level 1 Replace: Acid Spray --> Charm
Level 2 Replace: Blur ---> Otto's (Only if healer is struggling to keep people alive. i.e. After you shrine)

Web and Charm (and Otto's) become your CC spells for large groups of mobs or if you notice the healer has a hard time keeping up with someone's red bar (they are extra squishy). I do not use electric loop as people tend to swing like crazy breaking "daze" effects and sleep and other spells are not reliable (for my preference).
Also note that I run around with a healing mercenary because it is cheaper than healing potions.

[Tenebris-Niatellim]

At your level, a 2HW + Masters Touch = Lots of dead things. If you wanna play like a caster and not an angry wizard you will want two (2) wands with Acid/Cold focus/lore.

My PM is Ice/Acid/Lit spec'ed so your are fine.

Asking about spell line up is like asking people what their favorite food/movie/sport/ect... is, it will vary.

My preference (and only my preference)...
Level 1 (4); Master's Touch, Acid Spray (or sonic blast, Niac's), Expeditious Retreat, Jump
Level 2 (3); Web, Acid Arrow, Blur (Knock, Bull's Strength)

If grouping:
Level 1 Replace: Acid Spray --> Charm
Level 2 Replace: Blur ---> Otto's (Only if healer is struggling to keep people alive. i.e. After you shrine)

Web and Charm (and Otto's) become your CC spells for large groups of mobs or if you notice the healer has a hard time keeping up with someone's red bar (they are extra squishy). I do not use electric loop as people tend to swing like crazy breaking "daze" effects and sleep and other spells are not reliable (for my preference).
Also note that I run around with a healing mercenary because it is cheaper than healing potions.

I see, although I do have a question, why use Otto? I've heard good things about it but when I used it it seems to only target 1 person? And is it normal if im using masters touce (and a chaotic 2hander) if im hitting 10-20ish damage?

[PsychoBlonde]

I have found (over multiple lives) that the best layout to do on a low-level wizard is generally a fire/acid split--these are your most effective spells in the bang for buck category early on. The first-level ones aren't much, but 2nd, 3rd, and 4th has some serious power to it. I usually do something like this:

1st level: utility spells (Master's Touch, Feather Fall, Expeditious Retreat, Detect Secret Doors, Shield, Jump are your best ones)
2nd level: Scorch is THE best 2nd level damage spell for taking out groups of enemies. (Last I checked the only place you can get scrolls for it is on the AH.) Acid arrow is good for taking down big bosses--it does a lot of damage but the damage is spread out over several ticks. Also good at this level: blur, heroism, glitterdust (blinds enemies which means sneak attack for you). Web is also a very valuable spell.
3rd level: Fireball and Acid Blast are no-brainers. Get tons of wands of fireball and alternate casting one/wanding one--your big one will take mobs down to almost dead and the follow-up from your wand will take them out. This prevents you from wasting SP unnecessarily which is *always* the biggest problem on a wizard. Haste, Rage and Displacement are also extremely valable.
4th level: Firewall and Acid Rain--these two spells cast in conjunction will allow you to gather up whole hordes of enemies and dispatch them all with minimal sp expenditure. Stoneskin is your major 4th level defensive spell, and you should keep Dimension Door loaded as much as you can.

Level 5 is the Dot level with Niac's Cold Bite and Eledar's Electric Surge, which is why that's a good time to look into switching from an Acid/Fire spec into a Cold/electricity one. You don't have to do so immediately, though--very few mobs are immune to Acid.

Level 6 is when you should start switching away from damage as your primary offense and switching toward CC/insta-kill. Symbol of Persuasion, Mass Suggestion, Circle of Death all give you options to the expensive damage methods. Charm enemies and let them kill each other while you use Tenser's Transformation to take out the few remaining with a couple of melee hits or a well-placed Circle of Death. Disintegrate helps with foes who are largely immune to other damage types.

Once you get past level 6 spells you want to focus (and re-spec if necessarily) on instant-kills and CC with damage only as cleanup (and never forget you can wade in and whack stuff with a weapon if there's only one or two left). The secret to playing a wizard is to NEVER use a mass spell except ON a MASS of enemies, and ALWAYS use the spells that do the most for the least. Single-target damage spells are your absolute worst options. Even single-target kills can be too expensive, so it's best to either make the enemies fight each other whenever you possibly can.

[PsychoBlonde]

I see, although I do have a question, why use Otto? I've heard good things about it but when I used it it seems to only target 1 person? And is it normal if im using masters touce (and a chaotic 2hander) if im hitting 10-20ish damage?

Otto's Irresistable dance is indeed single-target but it also has NO saving throw, making it a very reliable takeout for a single highly dangerous enemy. Spell resistance does apply, however.

If you haven't invested heavily in strength yes, you're not going to be doing gobs of melee damage, but 10-20 is acceptable for the level you're at. With rogue levels you can also get sneak attack damage on most foes, plus there are a wide variety of options for buffing yourself with spells.

Make sure you max out ranks in Use Magic Device. It may not seem useful now but it will be later.