Celtic Heroes

The dmg you take by mobs in shalemont and stonevale is nothing to the restos and res idols you will need in ow and carrowmore. At about lvl 80 you will start to notice you are lvling slower, and you may decide to start lixing. At 100 and above you definitely should. If you dont want to lix and decide to patiently grind xp go for higher vit survivabilty, but if you want to get the most xp out of a lix, by killing faster, you need to put out dmg. At 120 ish you want to start lvling in a group, which may have a druid that will solve your survivability problem. Furthermore, you will probably have another class like rogue, warrior, or ranger who can take aggro and share incoming dmg. my point is if you want to lvl fast or even at a good pace go with the 2:3 vit: focus. It may not seem like it matters in stonevale or shalemont but it matters if you want to progress with your mage.

At first 1 focus =1 dmg and it gets lower as you get higher up. 1 vit is about 5-6 health. When you get up lvl wise you'll be taking 300-600 dmg if you are lucky from an attack. The dmg from focus is more than worth it when it adds up.

All in all id say go with what you like. Mage is a tough class and a money pit. The only way to have fun with it, is to do it how you like. When i get asked fire or ice, i tell people its up to them because both sides have their pros and cons. Im a fire mage due to my inner pyro.