i dont think that the wizard is too weak, it just that you have to employs a suitable tactics when using a wizard. since he wizard is quite delicate i used templar most of the time as bait, then cast a spell from afar.. lol

btw, been addicted with the sorcerer during my diablo 2 time i must say kudos to blizzard for making a lot of improvement to the wizard. one of the most notable one is adding an attack spell that did not consume arcane power (back then it is called mana). however the inability to edit the stats did somehow makes it less challenging in building a character.

currently a level 13 wizard, still trying to familiarised with the new game. one thing i hate most is the poison monster, the life drains like crazy. and i cant seem to find any EQ that comes with the poison resistant attribute.. damn

i prefer the 2nd option, since the skills allow me to blast past the minions horde for less of time. but then again i'm just at 13, so not much to say for the 2 latter skills. but i do believe it is much better

dude, 1.6k hp is seriously low. you can die with 1 hit on NM. on the other hand, 1.1k damage is high if you play on act 1 & 2