While a Legendary Dragon may be a master of shouts among its own kind, a mage build in Skyrim can put that ancient creature in its place in a matter of seconds. With several ways to ensure a dragon's breath won't ever reach the player, as well as many other ways to fire back with their own powerful spells, a mage is one of the best ways to tackle dragons that are even more powerful than Alduin.
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Although mages are notoriously frail when it comes to melee combat, they have a distinct advantage over other builds in that, particularly at later levels, their best weapons can be used for free, or at the very least, at a much lower cost. When it comes to fighting a Legendary Dragon, a mage character will have to pull out all the stops if they want to live long enough to savor their victory.
6 Take Advantage Of Useful Spells
The core elements of a mage's combat are their spells, which, at level 78 or higher, will most likely include elements from all of the Mage Skills in the game. Ranged Destruction spells, particularly Icy Spear, Thunderbolt, and Incinerate will be the main way a mage deals damage to a dragon. If the player has done the "Master Destruction" side quest, they should definitely also make use of Lightning Storm and relive their favorite Kamehameha moment from Dragon Ball. Restoration spells, particularly healing and warding spells, are also going to need to be frequently used if the player wants to stay alive. Alteration spells aren't as useful against dragons, since Paralysis doesn't work on them at all, although the Flesh spells, particularly the master level spell, Dragonhide, will ensure that the mage character doesn't get killed in one melee attack.
Conjuration is also a great tool to ensure that a dragon doesn't focus on the player while they are bombarding it with Fire and Shock magic. Though, higher-level spells may also result in the player not being able to cast as many Destruction spells in quick succession. Illusion is almost entirely useless against dragons since none of them work on dragons even with the Master of the Mind perk taken. That being said, it's not entirely useless, as Illusion spells like Rout and Rally do still work on conjured Atronachs and Dremora, so they can be used to boost the effectiveness of conjured creatures.
5 Choose The Armor That's Right For You, Even If It's A Spell
Since mages generally don't wear armor, this is going to be the main issue for a mage, particularly since a Legendary Dragon's melee attack can easily one-shot a mage that has no inherent armor rating. Either the Dragonhide or Ebonyflesh Alteration spells are essentially mandatory for a Legendary Dragon battle, though there are also ways around this if the player wants to increase their armor rating to the maximum.
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If the player is a vampire and has the Necromage Restoration perk, all spells used on the player will be more powerful, including beneficial spells like healing and Flesh spells. It's also one of the few ways that a mage can reach the armor cap of 80% damage reduction by using Ebonyflesh, as it normally only grants the player an armor rating of 300. Combined with passive effects like the Lord Stone, this is an easy way to ensure the player is just as hardy as any warrior build while still keeping the mage archetype.
4 Select A Viable Companion That Compliments Your Build
The best companions for a mage are those they conjure themselves, which is a fairly large variety of creatures. Storm Atronachs are probably the best choice since their Shock spells will prevent the dragon from shouting if used enough times, and they are able to take many more hits than a Flame or Frost Atronach. The Wraithman, Dremora Lord, and Ash Guardian are also very good followers to have, though the Ash Guardian will require a Heart Stone in the player's inventory. While the player can't summon two Ash Guardian's at once, they can summon one Ash Guardian and two other summons if they have the Twin Souls perk, since Ash Guardian summons count as runes rather than actual summons.
Arniel's Shade, obtained through the College of Winterhold quest, "Arniel's Endeavor", is also very useful against Legendary Dragons as it is entirely immune to melee attacks, though it is still vulnerable to shouts. Stil, it has many useful spells like Heal Other and Chain Lightning to help keep the player alive while also dealing damage.
3 Buff Up Your Passive Effects
There are many passive effects that are useful for a Dragonborn mage to have, though the majority of them are quest rewards or Standing Stones. The Atronach Standing Stone power is particularly great for Breton characters, as, when combined with their Dragonskin racial power, they become entirely immune to all shouts, though the ability to absorb 100% of a spell also means that healing, flesh, and summoning spells won't work at all. Another alternative is the Lord Stone, which increases both armor rating and magic resistance by a fair amount.
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The Agent of Mara passive effect, obtained after completing the "Book of Love" side quest in Riften, further increases magic resistance and will help reduce the damage taken by a Legendary Dragon's Fire Breath, Frost Breath, and Drain Vitality shouts. The Blessing of Azura, gained by praying at Raven Rock temple, adds even more resistance to magic, while Dragon Infusion, obtained through the Blades, will permanently reduce the damage taken by a dragon's melee attacks and is essential for fighting off high-level dragons.
2 Use The Right Shouts
A mage should be taking full advantage of the numerous shouts available to them, as they are generally enhanced by Mage Skill perks. Fire and Frost Breath are both enhanced by the Fire and Frost specific perks Augmented Flames and Augmented Frost, as well as the Intense Flames and Deep Freeze perks to add secondary effects to the shouts.
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Storm Call is also a powerful shout, though it doesn't benefit from any of the Shock related perks in the Destruction skill tree. Call Dragon, Call of Valor, and Summon Durnheviir are also great summoning spells that can quickly turn the tide of battle in a mage's favor, though the most powerful shout for a mage is most likely the Dragon Aspect power, which grants them 80% damage reduction and improved power over all other shouts.
1 Putting It All Together
As a mage's best defense is a good offense, being the one to initiate the battle goes a long way in ensuring that the player has the edge against a Legendary Dragon. Before anything else, summon the followers and use either the Flesh spells or Dragon Aspect to keep the player's armor rating as high as possible before throwing every offensive spell they have at the dragon. Make sure to keep a Ward spell at the ready, as a Legendary Dragon's shouts, particularly the Drain Vitality shout, can be particularly devastating if the player is hit by it. Once the dragon lands, keep a safe distance from its melee attacks while giving it everything the mage has with a well-placed Lightning Storm attack and the dragon should be turned to dust in no time.