so, I'm not really buying the whole "mage is easy mode" argument I'm seeing thrown around a lot.
I started an astrologer and maybe I'm missing something but, sure, the mage seems OP in some of the videos posted here. but those videos tend to show off how much DPS it can do it to a boss mob that doesn't move at the start of the fight, or a dragon before you aggro it.
99% of this game is spent outside of boss battles. most bosses can be cheesed with any melee build, so the fact that mages might have it easy against certain bosses doesn't really seem like a huge advantage to me.
this is coming from someone whose main character is 100% melee with no spells. have about 90 hours on this melee build and am around level 130. melee build lets me crank up endurance and vigor to the point where I can wear heavy armor, tank like crazy and roll non stop to avoid attacks. melee weapons do a SHIT load of damage, just like spells. except they don't rely on FP and you gain the ability to take a few hits too. my mage is so damn squishy.
just my 2 cents. a lot of the game, the mobs move and attack so quickly and aggressively, it is difficult to get the proper spacing needed to fire off a bunch of spells. not to mention all the battles that take place in very tight quarters.
edit: this is especially true for the comet azur spell videos people like to post when referencing magic builds that "break the game"
if the boss literally moves even slightly to the left or right, it stops working. which is what happens 9 times out of 10