I have played multiple mages and have yet to find a purpose to Mage armor. Mages don't get hit enough for it to be practical to use, and even if you weren't a pure Mage and you got hit a lot then you should wear regular armor, which negates the perks for it.

I see people on the forums all the time say how important alteration is for a Mage and I would really like to use spells like paralyze so my question is, what are you guys using Mage armor for?

I've never had a use for it, because I'm super-duper skilled, but it can go a long way to keeping you alive in situations were melee / archery hits are inevitable. One viable strategy for certain situations is to use Cloak spells to do damage, and armour spells / healing to endure.

There are also builds which fight at close quarters but do not use conventional armour, who may prefer the benefits of Robes or otherwise lack of armour: Vigilants of Stendaar are a good example.

It's nice to have some protection just in case.

With 3/3 Mage Armor and casting Ebonyflesh, you have an AR of 300. That's pretty damn good.

Well, Mage Armor is great at the start of the game (like low 20s) when you get jumped by a Saber Cat or a Cave Bear... they can kill you with 2 hits depending on your stats distribution, so Mage Armor is a LIFE SAVER at those times. Sure, you can stun lock them with Impact, but I mean when you actually get caught of guard... I don't use followers, so it could get messy.

After you actually get Paralize, I can see why people may think Mage Armor isn't worth it, but I still rock my Ebonyflesh even on my level 62 mage. I guess it makes me feel more comfortable in any given situation =P

It's also very useful for grind levelling Alteration, but that's modus non grata.

Hmmm.... I guess it's just how I play, but I never get hit, so I like the threat of getting killed if I get hit, which hasn't happened yet it my game and I'm level 17.

You don't get the hidden 100 you get with a suit of armor though, so the 300 from mage armor is not as much protection as a 300 AR rating from actual armor.

I know what you mean, I hardly use it either when I play 'proper' mages, but with mixed skill characters it is much more useful.

I don't take the mage armor perks very often myself. I had one character who took them and he could still get one shot killed by a high level bandit with a bow.

But if you are running around with AR of zero, you have to dodge a lot more than you do with the fully perked mage armor.

I have a necrovamp who relies on them heavily. With the necromage boost, the 300 ebony flesh goes up to 375. That last 75 is a substantial boost because of the curve the protection follows. It is not linear relationship between AR and damage reduction. It starts out as a fairly flat curve, then goes exponential.

There is also no reason a mage cannot wear armor, though for roleplaying reasons, I often prefer robes. There is also no way to duplicate the robes enchantments on armor.

Only level 17 eh?

Mr. "untouchable", meet my loyal slave, http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ZoDiaC91/media/72850_2013-05-09_00006_zps554e66b1.png.html?sort=3&o=16

Good luck!

I have a Bound Sword Dual Wielder that uses Mage Armor. It does make a big difference in viablity when taking damage while wearing clothing. It is not as good as Armor, but there is no wieght penalty involved. Armor will cost encumbrance that can be spent on Alchemical Ingredients, Books, and Scrolls.

Hevnoraak also failed to mention that His Minion with an Ebony Bow will One Hit most characters.

Not a high enough level to properly judge the usefulness/uselessness of mage armor. Give it to at least level 30 or so before you totally write it off. There are some opponents you may find it useful against by then. And there are definitely some you will find it useful against after level 30. Not necessary in every situation, but useful in many.

Yes I know, lvl 17 isn't very high, it's just that all my other play styles almost always have a higher lvl enemie kill them by now. It just that my Mage, and any other Mage I've ever played, just don't get hit enough fo it to be worth the mana to cast.

I mean I still only have 100 health aswell and I'm on expert and I'm just not dieting as much as any of my other characters

You will also get dragon hide at some point. Mage armor perks don't do anything to dragon hide. That spell does not last long but provides a mountain more protection than mage armor.