I realize they aren't supposed to be in melee... but I do take my one wizard into melee. The character has about 265 mitigation at 18th level. I cannot afford to add enough station cash for a merc for now. Is there some other way to help this one character ? Most of my other characters their mit is over 300. I do have Totem of Succulent running when the character is in combat. Thanks.
So, Wizards are out of luck when it comes to armor. Mercs in EQ are useful. I got a ranger from 61 to 65 with the help of a healer merc. I don't generally use them in EQ until about 18th to 23rd level.
Well are you mention wizards aren't met for sustained melee. They are cloth wearers and are naturally squishy. There are some AAs which increase mitigation and parry and this will help. Deflecting Staff in sorcerer tree will increase parry up to 8%. Battlemage armor, also in sorcerer tree, will increase mitigation in an amount that scales with level. Runic Barrier in sorcerer tree will provide small damage reduction. Battle Hardened in the shadows tree will also increase mitigation. As well, there are several AAs which can increase hp, or ward, or even prevent death. The second line in, on the dragon tree, is great for wizard survivability. But you will fare better if you focus on roots and snares in solo, and managing hate while in groups.
As a wizard, you should consider learning the "root and nuke" method of mage kiting. You root the mob, hit it once or twice, root it again, back up a couple of steps, hit it again, etc. Instead of roots, you can also use slows, stuns, stifles, etc.