I am creating a new mage character and would like to know which type to create. When comparing I/L and F/P mages, what are the pros and cons of each? Let me know which one you think is more 'fun'. I also have a priest getting close to maxing holy symbol, so in the rare event when I can get to level 120 + , which mage is good for providing leech?
If you're going to stay on one of them for the long haul, F/P mages will receive a buff with the new source hitting, making them the strongest magician. Both have similar leeching areas like petrifighers, which will be your end game goal to one hit with both of them. Both have relatively cheap skill books as compared to the exorbitant bishop skill books which cost up to around a bil per pop (gen20 & 30) and that's provided you pass them on your first try. I would say that both classes have really good training or rather mobbing skills in the early stages which will make your training more bearable. I do recommend you check out some guides on both mages. They can be found under guides. It's a lot of insight from ice and fire mages themselves. As for the equipment, elemental wands for fire mages give int while the ones for ice mages give luk, which means that elemental wand 7s are usually rarer and slightly more expensive than elemental 5s. All in all both of them have the same path of a mean money making machine, so I would suggest you pick something you'll enjoy or rather the one you find, in lay mans term, cooler for you. (Pun intended)
30-75 I/L hands down 1:0 75-120 F/P hands down 1:1 120+ 2hit I/L because you freeze everything so you save more money on pots/etc. 120+ 1hit F/P more dmg than I/L but doesnt mean anything because both one hit anyway. its about even depending on the level range. One excels at 2nd job leveling, one excels at 3rd job.
Both are pretty much the same if you are going to leech. Fp mages have better damage because the wand 5 stat plus the boost that they will get when the new source comes, one thing to note is that IL mages have better training capabilities in oblivion maps (o2 is a common place to mages to train and the mobs there are strong to fire) while FP have better training at RoR(monsters are weak to fire) which gives less exp
I'd 100% go I/L because not only can they neutrally fight in oblivion maps, but they aren't limited to AFK farming only at Voodoos. I/L mages have a fire summon which hits leprechauns and elder wraiths for more than 1 damage (Unlike the ice summon that you get as F/P.) You have more potential variety as an I/L archmage. F/P mages have a niche advantage in being able to 1hko RoR maps and Dark Wyverns at HT. Basically two places you'll probably rarely be (Especially horntail because there is absolutely 0 demand for either archmage) Putting all of that aside and focusing on the leech you mentioned, as of right now they're equal in the most common leeching locations minus the few extra int that F/P mages get from their wand.
Adding to what has been said, f/p has 50% damage reduction underwater (which makes it so much harder to 1hit goby houses).
