I recently made a character on the game, but was dismayed to find out that it wasn't an optimal choice. I had picked mage/warrior/cleric/druid. By now I have somewhat of a basic grasp on the game and how to get started, etc.
I would like a character that could solo later on if I wanted to, but also a character that would be useful in groups too. I'm really only interested in creating one character and playing it all the time, so I want to get it right the first (or I guess in this case, second) time.

I'm a big fan of magic/casting in MUDs generally, so I guess I'd like to be a mage primary (or at least have mage somewhere in there). Are primary mages very useful in groups/solo situations? I don't care if I have to kick it back to secondary or whatever, as long as I can cast some spells.

It doesn't matter to me if a character is hard to start out with. I'm willing to put in the time and effort if it means the character will end up being good later on.