>>2727904Mage classes rock, you just have to put a little more thought into them beyond "equip strongest sword and highest HP armor."
Magic Attack-Up, Wizard Robe / Rod, Magic Gauntlet, Flash Hat and spend a few fights raising your Faith to something resembling reasonable.
>>2727635Abandon doesn't need to be on a Ninja. Having Escutcheon II and Abandon on any character gives them 100% Evade and 100% Magic Evade. It should be noted though that shields only block what's straight ahead of you, so being flanked reduces that number.
If you're looking for all-around evasion regardless of facing, then only c-ev (class evasion) and a-ev (accessory evasion) matter.
The highest generic evasions belong to Ninjas (30%) and Thieves (25%). Equipping a Feather Mantle (40% Physical / 30% Magic) is the best option. Note that Abandon, while making the Feather Mantle 80%p and 60%m, putting it on a Ninja (which abandon enhances his base c-ev to 60%) doesn't add up to 140%-p and 120%-m respectively. Rather, it would be you have 80% evasion from the Mantle and your class now covers 60% of that remaining 20% for another 12%, putting you at 92%-p evasion and 84%-m.
(Pretty sure my math checks out, but it's late as fuck here.)
>>2727908Blade Grasp can give you 100% physical evasion, why would you even bother with a shield?
