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My favorite hero is Necr, who also levels up Death Knights. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the hero's name. He's primarily a mage. With him, the Death Knights become something truly terrifying, capable of crushing almost any opponent of their level. You can make him a very effective mage, and even if his magic is reduced to level 3 with an artifact, it's not critical for a Necropolis hero. Slowing and other important spells remain, and most importantly, resurrection does too. Throughout my gaming experience, I don't recall ever losing to a warrior. The option of finding an artifact that completely blocks magic, combined with the power of the "steeds" and skillful play with vampires, levels the playing field even against a well-developed warrior hero. I'm definitely in favor of mages; without a blocking artifact, warriors are easy prey for mages. Sorry, but that's a fact.
For example, I played against a very experienced and strong player. It turned out that his hero was developed more as a warrior, although he also had decent magic. But he also had three times the army size. And that's because there were three times more human castles on the map than Necropolises. Only such a huge numerical advantage decided the outcome. But when I asked my opponent to make his army at least twice as large as mine, I crushed him. For warriors, the option is to block magical abilities; without an artifact, there's no chance, or you have to be a clumsy mage.
Regarding skills. If you're playing the campaign, it's one thing; if you're playing against a live player or in a single game, it's another.
For example, in the campaign, I rarely level up logistics and sometimes don't level up intelligence because there are plenty of magic points during the campaign anyway, and logistics aren't needed because you can teleport and reach anyone anywhere on the map.
Against a live player, Earth Magic, Wind Magic, Intelligence, Logistics, and Wisdom are essential for a mage. Water Magic is also useful, but not critical. If the map is large, I take Diplomacy. Then, from the remaining free slots, I prefer to develop attack. I never take Eagle Eye, healing, or other useless skills.