Posted June 25, 2010
I can't speak for Gothic 1 (I haven't gotten around to playing it yet) but imho Gothic 2 has one of the worst balanced magic system in any RPG. Basically, while fighter types can raise strenght and find good weapons early on, a mage's spells are granted by the guild, based on the chapter you're in.
This means you'll be very weak early on, but in the later chapters you'll have game-breaking spells, like the one that kills any undead instantly, the one that summons a demon (a monster which is one of the toughest enemies in-game) or, worst of all, the area spell that will kill any enemy in 2 hits (except the final boss, it takes 3 casts instead).
When I played a mage (with NotR installed, it may be different with only the basic Gothic 2)
I seemed quite clear to me that the game was NOT meant to be played as a mage and was not balanced for it.
So I would say that most of the OP's problems stemmed from playing a mage and having NotR installed. I'd highly recommend playing a fighter or archer type first instead.
Oh, and to be clear, I did enjoy Gothic 2 very much, mostly because RPGs that are actually hard are so rare. It just isn't a game that's well-balanced for mage characters.
I've played through both games (NotR) as mages
Of course, I supplements with skills in 1h and bows.
You have to use your brain, your items, and your other skills. But you CAN deal huge damage and take down the "boss" like characters quite easily with a mage
Of course you can play the game with a mage, and finish it. I did and I mostly enjoyed it, though it was frustrating at times.
It is, however, not the best starting class for the first-time player, since it's very hard in the beginning.
It's also almost impossible to play as a pure mage (using only spells) because the early spell circles are so weak.
Up to mid-game, spells are only an opener to deal some damage before engaging in melee.
You admit yourself that the late game spells are, on the other hand, overpowered. They make the final island in chapter 6 a joke, and the final boss even more of one.
What part of that is balanced better than other games, exactly? Having a hard early game and being overpowered at the end is standard for mages in most RPGs. In Gothic 2, it's arguably worse than in other games, certainly not better.
None of what you said changes the fact that the game was obviously meant to be played with either a melee fighter or archer character, and that playing as a mage makes for a slightly frustrating, and very unbalanced experience.
