QUOTE(ordmag @ Apr 3 2025, 05:05)

Can you elaborate? I don't quite get it.
You need to slot abilities to gain benefit from staff prof and cloth prof.
They give you, MDB, Magic accuracy, SpellCrit, CastSpeed, MP.
All formulas are linear, benefit=k*(prof/10), K is given by formula.
Prof gain is based on the difference between your level and current prof.
You can easily gain a 1*level prof but it is hard to exceed. You only need to farm 1 week and you can get 1*level prof from 0 prof.
Even if you don't farm these profs before becoming a mage, you only lose about 0.1/1.1 benefit after 1 week.
You get more than 1/2 level prof after one day's SG arena if you have never farmed them before.
Compare to spell prof.
PF=(prof - monster_level)/monster_level
You get the following benefits from PF
Mitigation reduction = (PF ^ 1.5) * 50, this is not linear, and you get no benefit if your prof does not exceed your level. It increases fast at the beginning, and it makes a huge difference in damage. It could easily make up 10% of the damage dif for a new mage.
Counter-resist bonus = PF* 50%
You gain more benefit by farming spell prof than staff + cloth prof.
Besides benefits, if you want to farm staff and cloth prof before becoming a mage,
you have to force yourself to play mage before you're a mage. This is a kind of torture.
So, I don't think it's necessary to farm staff and cloth prof.