Will mage be now the hardest class to start with?

[Nate knowledge]

In the new spoilers we've been getting for 1.4.5, summoner has been getting a lot of items that smooth out and ease gameplay, whips and minions staffs included.
But now mage feels like the hardest class to start with.
The earliest weapon you can get is the wand of sparking, which is only one of the many possible surface chest items, all the while its not the most reliable weapon compared to other classes.
And gem staffs... Well gems aren't the easiest to get, even sapphire and topaz may take a while.

Though I'll say, this does fit with mage feeling like an exponential increase in power throughout the the whole game, it starts out very scuffed, and ends with one of the most easy-to-use and powerful weapons of the whole game, not to mention the variety of weapons.
I know zenith is the most powerful weapon but that's just because melee is the devs' favorite.

 

[chewythebigblackdog]

I don't think this is something you can say until the update is out. There's almost certainly countless items being added that haven't been shown off yet, I'd be surprised if they didn't add more pre-hardmode weapons for mage.

 

[Mille Marteaux]

I'd be surprised if they didn't add more pre-hardmode weapons for mage.

i'd be surprised too but it is just a really funny coincidence that almost everything immediately noticeable or highlighted in recent time has been summoner adjacent

the question itself has merit since the limited update information until its out does lead to some minor doubts

 

[W1K]

I know zenith is the most powerful weapon but that's just because melee is the devs' favorite.

Actually I recall ranged being red's favorite, and before zenith ranged has always had the (mathematically) best weapon in the game in pretty much every single version. I'd wager the only reason zenith exists is because swords are iconic and it's a sensible conclusion to the "Night's Edge > Terrablade > Zenith" line of progression.

But that's off topic. As far as magic goes I honestly wish the wand of sparkling wasn't RNG (but I guess so is the flinch staff). People kind of underestimate how strong the gem staves are just because they're a little boring to use, but it's also true gems are kind of a pain to find sometimes (even though they're miles easier to get nowdays). Deep down I kind of wish surface water bolts were still a thing, or we got a golden/water chest equivalent to act as a counterpart to the boomerangs and the spears, or wish that starfury was still a magic weapon.