They make debatably the best clerics(snare clicky). Enchanters are good too but erud or HE have a little better stats. It's not that big of a deal, though. In fact, if you are playing this character untwinked, dark elf probably is at least as good as HE/erud for hide.

they edge out Gnomes for second highest starting Intelligence by one point.

...s'bout it.

Wizards by a long shot. Having hide to med after a quad/afk med is great. Can't tell you how many times I would just afk right in the middle of wandering mobs where any other race has to go and find some place to safely sit before they get fixed invis at 55.

Dark Elf advantages as enchanter:
1. Hide
2. Can do the stein of Maggok quest right at level 8 (if you got a friend) instead of waiting until they get illusion darkelf much later in life.
3. Great starting area (noob log, plenty of spider silk and bone chips, and close to EC to sell those items for some money)
4. ultravision

When squeezed they give grape juice, best thing ever! :P

Jokes aside, HIDE, HIDE HIDE ... so gooood!

Min maxing races is usually pairing a races bonuses with a class missing the bonuses, and vice versa. Hide paired with a Wizard is incredible, and good on an enchanter. Its not good on a mage where it clashes with pets. Because of the rhythm and nature of how a wizard plays, the option of a diety that has better faction across the board than agnostic, I believe Wizard is a Dark Elfs greatest class, and Dark Elf is likely the wizards best race.

I made a gnome wizard only 18 but I kinda want to reroll as dark elf now uuugh

Dark Elves are really good at being eaten by Lockjaw.

I think its kinda sad we don't have the classic lighting in the game, where ultravision and infravision matter a lot. Nearlly blind at night and in some dungeons if you didn't have one of those vision types. Ultravision was a massive boon, and infravision a major boon. Now they are virtually irrelevant.