Quote Originally Posted by 'Otlecs',index.php?page=Thread&postID=55555#post55 555
free transport

This is the thing that, imo, puts mages at a different pace of leveling.
Being able to teleport to a city, for whatever reason, can speed up the process a bit.

Mage+Lock or Mage+Hunter can be a good combo imo, since both Mage partner's can use a pet to tank, which can be usefull for some quests.