Torchlight III

Similar to the other classes in this game: You will not be able to reach level 60 by the time you complete the campaign but will instead end up somewhere around the mid 40s. After completing the campaign however, you will unlock the ability to run the Fazeer's Dun'djin, a set of challenge dungeons that increase in level the higher you get (There is a gimmick here where you need to complete 3-4 dungeons without dying before you can access the next tier, which has higher level enemies/gear but the first few tiers aren't anything to worry about besides the occasional instakill because of some projectile that you didn't see coming). This is where you'll be grinding out your next ~15ish levels. Overall expect to spend anywhere between 20-30 hours grinding to level 60 and getting through ~20-25 Dun'djin tiers (depending on your rng and ability to speed through some of the less fruitful sections of the game).

While going through the campaign: try to keep an eye out for items that increase your gear luck as well, as there is 7 different legendary armor sets with 6 pieces that are completely random and can be dropped during any encounter. With the added gear luck, it might just be enough for you to complete a set before you hit level 60, which will alleviate some grinding if you're going for the completion like a madlad. Also, don't be so quick to sell your old gear luck items when you find better ones, as you can always store the old ones in your stash and give new characters a small boost early on that can mean the difference between finding that stupid last helmet you're missing in the set or getting your 1000th magic-tier item

Prior to starting the mage: one thing to keep in mind is the fact that your weapon will become useless very fast, unless you use a greatsword or something with substantial range to justify the damage drop compared to using your spells. I completely stopped using my weapon, besides a few scenarios where a finishing swipe was justified, once I hit Act 2. I should note before diving into details that I played primarily as a solo player so my build reflects that.

Loadout:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since this game has what I would consider an awful levelling system (due to the fact that you essentially have no room to experiment to find what skills you prefer in a class): it's hard to figure out what skills would be the best for you. I'd recommend looking at descriptions of skills and then seeing if that would match your playstyle, although I would like to give a quick warning and state that from my experience: it seems the mage is built to be a ranged DPS character (with multiple ranged spells and a few AOE ones). Although I haven't experimented with each skill yet, I've found great success using the following skills below:

The damage above is based on the current weapon that you're using, so I would personally recommend using 2 handed weapons when possible to maximize damage output, unless you have a really good focus charm or something else you prefer in your offhand. The damage also increases with each point you put into the skill so keep that in mind before you disregard a skill as useless (I previously ignored Mana Spike until I maxed it out and now love it!).

There are plenty of possible builds out there that you can look up if that setup doesn't sound very appealing to you. Something like the website below may have something more in tune with your playstyle
https://segmentnext.com/2020/10/14/torchlight-3-best-dusk-ma...

Playstyle:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With the above skills, I've been able to get away with a hit and run style of gameplay: when facing small enemies I would let them gather into a group before unleashing a mana spike to soften them up before ending them with a holy bolt or simply wiping them out with a light spear. For stronger enemies (unique, legendary, bosses, etc): I would also let them group up with smaller enemies if applicable and then use a shadow step to get some distance, pop consecration and immediately double light spear them to maximize my dps.


Relics:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I chose Flaming Destroyer and actually really liked using the Blazing Pillar active skill on it to get rid of the relic energy. it calls some Hammer of Dawn from GoW type beams that seek out enemies, albiet it's very slow. I found it really helpful when facing a congestion of enemies or for grinding out boss health since it also slowed them down and let me land a few safe shots from afar. That being said, the choice here ultimately isn't that big of a deal and I would recommend looking up some youtube videos of each one in action if you're really on the fence about picking one. I've used Electrode as well on other classes and it seems to be a good choice as well, albiet for different reasons. (There's an active skill there that randomly attacks enemies within an AOE which has the benefit of greater mobility compared to Blazing Pillar but less DPS).

Update: I later switched to "localized storm" on my forged playthrough and had a better time with that skill since it automatically targets enemies and even in the endgame (i.e upper 50s) was able to do a substantial amount of damage to any sort of enemy so I would recommend that electrode skill instead now. Localized Storm also seems to be the skill of choice when it comes to grinding 1 mil enemy kills so if you plan on grinding that achievement definitely pick that skill instead.