Risen 2nd playthrough as "mage" - need advice

Sword & Board (shield) has far more utility than a staff in Risen, sad but true. There are no staffs with stats that equal a comparable combo of sword/shield, at least not that I've found. Add to that the fact that shields block far more attacks, and that swords generally attack faster, and there's little reason to stay with a staff.

I have to agree, swords or axes are superior in pretty much every way.

Staff fighting looks fairly cool though, especially the advanced stance you get at rank 7 (give or take a rank).