Pricing of Mages ... is it balanced?

[deccan]

Originally posted by Cheezeninja:
If there's any unbalanced mage out there i would imagine its the Tien-Chi celestial master. The balancing formula just doesnt include the disadvantage that having low astral on an expensive mage is. 1F1A1S2W3H1? for 250 gold... The only possible 3 path (other than holy, of course) is water. And the most common use of W2, forging clams, is hard because there is no base water gem income.

I can agree with that, having just started playing the game recently and with Tien Chi at that. I've been trying to find a good use for these guys. Classic case of jack of all trades and master of none. Are they meant to be used with empowerment?