Shield. I am also a Redguard. But I am a level 36 pure warrior. Which means I put no points in magika and only 1 point in stamina. So my health is like 420. I find mages hard, especially the ones that shoot cold blast at you.

I found the best combination is to use/find amulets with magic resists, drink fire/cold resist potions, find/use armour with elemental resistance and make sure your shield arm has the magic resistance perk.

I also find the ice form shout handy as I can freeze the tough mage boss and close in and almost finish him before he can get up again. And adrenaline rush keeps stamina ok for Shield bashing.

Yes, they are. A lot more squishy than their archer, or warrior counterparts. and get owned by my non magic builds that are both past level 50 and play on master difficulty. Seriously, you don't see me in the Destruction thread? I wouldn't even be in there If I didnt have several high level character, or played on master.

Edit: Obviously my assassin wouldn't rush, but no enemy is a problem for an assassin that is a master of sneak and is doing 30x crit sneak attacks. and my answer was in regards to the TCs build anyway.

I also play as a fighter focused on close-quarters melee, with very little invested into the magical arts. When fighting groups of mages, I find I rely on three things (besides my swords)...

My Unrelenting Force shout, a partner and the power of the Ritual Stone.

Unrelenting Force is my favorite shout and the one I use most often. Upon an initial encounter with a group of mages I shout the Unrelenting Force and this usually sends most, if not all, of them flying across the room and slamming into walls (depending on how I aimed the shout). Then I rush in to whom I figure to be the most powerful of the group (I usually look for the one that looks a bit differently dressed than the others) and hack away. If I'm lucky I've killed one or more by the time the others have managed to get back to their feet. And by then, my partner has also waded into the fray to help cover my back. Then, depending on the power or size of the group, I turn around and mop up the remainders, or play a little cat and mouse until my shout recharges (there is an amulet that drops the recharge time for shouts that is a joy to have).

And the final thing that really helps me in dungeons filled with mages is the power of the Ritual Stone. This allows you to raise all nearby dead once per day. I usually save this one until I think I'm close to the end of a dungeon (which is where the biggest fights usually occur), then I walk close to the biggest pile of dead bodies and use the power to raise other mages, then press forward with my undead entourage. Often, I'll even engage the final enemies of a dungeon and fall back behind my caravan of dead and let them soften up the enemies before wading in myself.

Quite often I find myself giggling at this, especially if the mages are necromancers. I find it sweetly ironic that I've raised them and done to them what they've done to so many others. he he

Throw your meatshield at them, hide behind a corner, use Unrelenting Force when they come after you and kill them before they get up.

But since enemy mages have unlimited magicka they have wards up the whole time and that for some reason blocks the shouts, so it usually fails at step 3.

Don't think anyone has suggested this yet... try to find a Staff of Chain Lightening. That thing is a beast when battling mages. It actually leaks over from one individual to another if they are close enough, causes a lot of health and magicka damage, and in addition, tends to stun your victims. A few blasts with the staff while strafing/hiding behind cover helps me lower their magicka reserves and then close in while stunned to bash their heads in. That staff has saved my butt on numerous occasions. I also have a Staff of Frost Atronach that I use in conjunction with the Staff of Chain lightning when battling a group of mages. The Atronach keeps them occupied as I blast them with the chain lightening and then close in for the kill.

What is it? Is it a perk? Which skill does it fall under? I don't see it any of my sub-skill perk trees

Use a Ward from the Restoration skill. Absorb their spells as you move closer.

seperate them, focus on on at a time, and watch your health, magic eniemies are the only thing that comes close to killing my level 41 warrior. And really it only svcks in battles with multiple casters. Also use poisins, you'll probably run across them sometimes, One hit serously hurts them, gives them less time to run and hide from you

Also spell breaker is great, its a quest reward from a deadric shrine

Use cover and attack with a bow, then when they get close use any shout that will stagger them so they can't run away when you go to attack them with your melee weapon.

Also, use a damn shield with elemental resistance (both the perk and an enchant)...

Keep in mind that Magic Resistance is capped in Skyrim, not like Oblivion. 85% I believe.

Bum rush them:

-Sprint with sword

-Sword power with sprint, bum rushed, dead in an instant

It's a quest reward from

Mages are a pain, but I have no problems taking them down. I play a Nord so there frost spells barely do any damage. Now their fire spells that's a different story. Before I encounter one I take a few resist fire spells, then I run at them full speed. And hack them down.

Some good shouts to use are:

Whirlwind Rush (Close the distance)

Slow Time (Kill them before they launch their first spell).

charge n' tank

Orc Warrior for life

That's ok if you're able to reach them, not easy when they keep hitting you with ice spikes.


Edit: But if you're a mage shock is the best to use on mage types.

Yep.

You could also stack magic absorb up to 80% on top of that though, which works as in complete mitigation with chance.