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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rechan" data-source="post: 5651333" data-attributes="member: 54846">It's hard to put into exact numbers. But let me rephrase.Many of the PHB1 Wizard powers are subpar. In that, for instance,  a wizard had a burst At Wills that hit all targets, but later  controllers had At Willss out of the gate that could just hit only  enemies in the same burst. The Encounters were a bit on the weak side as  well. (Wizard Dailies still rock the house). It's hard for me to cite  specifics because I'm visiting family (no access to books).Let me give you an example of what I mean, while answering your question to Kzach (why Essentials is better). Basically the Essentials mage is 1) cleaned up PHB1 eratta wizard, 2) the powers have received an upgrade, and 3) there are options such as a renamed Charm Person, etc etc.The PHB1 wizard has an At-Will Thunderwave. It's a Close Blast 3 that attacks all creatures in a the area, attacks vs. fort for 1d8+Int damage, and push them equal to your Wisdom bonus, yes? The Essentials Mage has an At Will Beguiling Strands, Close blast 5, enemies in the burst, attack vs. Will. Int mod psych damage, push 3. So, you lose a d8 of damage, in exchange you get a larger blast that does not effect your allies, and targets Will instead of Fort (fort is seen as one of the worst defenses to hit). And you push them a guaranteed 3 squares.The PHB1 wizard has Scorching Burst. Area 1 that does 1d6 fire, attacks Ref, attacks all creatures in burst.The Essentials Mage has Freezing Burst, which does everything of the above (Except does cold damage) and allows you to slide the target you hit 1 square. They also offer at-wills that just do not compare to what's presented in PHb1.. They present 3 Encounter powers at level 1. Burning Hands (same as PHB). Then 'Chasm of Misplaced Wrath'. It's a single target power that attacks will. If you hit, you slide the target 3 and daze them until the end of your turn (Daze is Great). The Effect (so this goes off if you hit or miss): the target makes a basic attack against a creature of your choice as a free action, with a +2 to the attack. Finally there's Illusory Obstacles, an Area Burst 1 that targets enemies, targets their will. Hit: Target is dazed and can't charge until the end of your next turn. Miss: target can't charge. Again, daze is great. But that right there would pretty much lock down several targets at once at the start of a fight.The nice thing, also, is that if you went with the Essentials Mage, you could still pick a Wizard encounter or Daily power from another source, IIRC.Summing upThe Essentials just made the PHB1 Wizard spells more on par with other controllers and placed most of them in one place. The only thing that the PHB1 wizard gets that the Essentials mage does not is the Implement mastery, and free rituals.</blockquote>

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