Indeed, playing as a Mage in Heroes 5 didn't really make sense; there are few skill slots for gaining experience, and for a Mage to actually be stronger than a Warrior, you need to spend at least 3 skill slots on magic.
Offensive magic was completely nerfed in the sixth installment. At the same time, vampirism is available from the very first level, which, frankly, raises some questions for me, just as does healing, which now resurrects!
