You actually do not start off the game as a Spirit Master. Rather, the Spirit Master is a subclass of the Mage, one of four main classes. The Mage is essentially the caster class, who uses magic spells to attack opponents and defend oneself. Mages are a glass cannon in that they hit hard, but are vulnerable (AKA “squishy”), especially when it comes to melee assaults. Since you as a Mage can do ranged magical attacks, the trick then is to do as much damage as possible to the enemy and debuff them before they reach you.
Spirit Master or Sorcerer
What is the difference between the two subclasses anyway? Both use magic spells and draw from the elements (fire, water, air, and earth) to attack during PvP or PvE. However, the Spirit Master summons the elements in the form of spirits companion or refer by some as pets, who help you defeat your enemies. In other words, the Spirit Master is a pet class, with pets that represent the various elements. You’ll spend the first eight levels in Aion deciding which subclass is best for you.
In terms of combat, Sorcerers attacks are primarily burst DPS (Damage per Second) while Spiritmasters mainly rely on DoTs (Damage over Time) to defeat their opponents. This means that Sorcerers can kill mobs faster than Spirits Master – provided that the fights are short. In longer battles the Spirit Master fares better, as he or she can cast spells that bleed an enemy to death. Keep these differences in mind in terms of PvE (Player vs. Environment) and PvP (Player vs. Player).