So I'm playing this Redguard Stealth-meleefighter, who has the Atronach Birthsign. I'm just curious about hearing your thoughts on it. Do you play with it? Do you hate it? And how do you regain your magicka?

I want to learn some good strategies, because I'm not going to take advantage of the Telekinesis glitch, so is it only hard in the beginning and is potions going to be sufficient later on? I'm also finding it hard having to be hit to regain magicka, since my character relies on not being detected and not begin hit

well then don't choose atronach for that playstyle

the best thing to do is get 100% absorbtion so you get loads of magicka back per spell hit on self.
but i don't really like it, my shaman altmer has it and he fails lol

The basic strategy is to get good at alchemy. For restore magicka potions. Early on Flax and Steel-Blue Entoloma are best. Then other common ingredients appear around Journeyman level, like Water Hyacinth. You can get good at alchemy by creating lots of restore fatigue potions from many common foods.

Another strategy is go find or enchant a weapon with absorb magicka.

Early on it could be difficult and you my need to conserve magicka. Like waiting to heal instead of casting healing spells.

But later my Atronach characters tend to have more magicka then they know what to do with.

And of course a key strategy is to get to 100% spell absorption.

alyied wells, these are awesome in the begining. I spend the first few levels picking flax around skingrad, and the blue mushrooms between bruma and chorrol.

With max alchemy you can make some insane potions to restore magicka.

Getting used to jumping in front of spells takes a little bit of getting used to

I just started an atronach melee fighter. Like whiteguy suggested going to Skingrad is a good idea, as there is a ton of flax in the area, and lot of steel blue entomola can be found on the road between Skingrad and Weye. Mix them together for restore magicka potions. I have learned to be a little more conservative in my spellcasting, and to wait until my magicka has gown down enough that I will get the full effect of a potion before I drink it. Plus, as whiteguy also said, those Ayleid wells will restore your magicka. So cast your healing spells, then use a well to top off. Chapel altars will do the same. Finally, if you use a wayshrine in the wilderness, you can use that deities small altar in the chapels, as well as the big main altar there.

I love my Atronach character. But it's definitely a hard character to start out with. Alchemy is certainly helpful, but not necessary. Make sure you have some Restore Magicka potions handy though. Alyeid wells are good choices because they often contain magical enemies, and they have those stones that restore your Magicka completely. Those things are extremely useful.
I suggest joining the Mages Guild for sure. Firstly, your enemies are usually spellcasters. And secondly, once your in the Arcane University, you can very easily restore magicka. It might be considered an exploit, but you can stand in front of characters in the Practice Rooms and absorb their spells. If you don't have 100% absorption, I suggest you try to get in front of a non-destruction spell though.
And of course, 100% absorption is awesome if you can get it. Completing the Main Quest will help with that, the Mages Guild questline might help, as well as a few random quests.

But seriously, once you get to high levels, Atronach characters are extremely powerful, so stick with it.

I actually wrote a guiide on the finer points of the Atronach somewhere. Ill dig it up for you in a day or two when Im back home.

SO I wasnt able to dig up the old guide, but what you need to do is:

First thing out of the sewer head straight forward and Raid the Temple Vilveran for its welkynd stones. Those help out a lot early on and there is around 20 of them.

Then use the stones to get you through the Mages guild. Along the mages guild you will come across and make several restore magicka potions. Once you have access to the garden you can stalk up there every 3 days. At later levels youll encounter more and more magick using enemies and you wont need to stalk up as much.

Alternatively you can use it ona warrior and just enjoy 50absorb magicka defense.

Personally for a strait up mage I like the Apprentice sign. Its your call though.

It's just such a gamechanging birthsign. From what you guys say it's basically only a problem in the first 0-5 levels, and seriously useful from level 10+... Well, my character just needs to consider his magic use and start to do some serious ingredienthunting

Remember that you can get your health back just by using WAIT.

A lot of people forget or overlook that.

The other early ingredient that's useful is Bog Beacon, plentiful around Leyawiin. Once you have a second effect available, which could be at the start if Alchemy is a major, then Stinkhorn is in the same area.

The thing I found annoying when I made an Atronach character, is how many of the items with an Absorb Spell enchantment were Amulets, meaning I could only use one at a time. You'll want to pick your Sigil Stones if you want to get the 100% early.

For the first few levels, you can manage just fine with flax and the steel-blue mushrooms for potions. You can easily pick over 100 flax seed around Skingrad every few days if you need to, and several of my atronach characters (non-mages) have simply hot-keyed flax seed. Just hit the hot-key four times for several seconds of slow magicka restoration; it's plenty for the character who is only using magic for healing and other light combat support.

For the mage, you need to take advantage of the ayleid wells and welkynd stones.

You also might consider using conjuration to summon a ghost, then attacking it. It will hit you with several frost attacks.

oh getting spell absorbing to at least 75-90 and just about every spell gets absorbed. 100 feels a little like cheating, but its easy to get with a certin amulet robe or greaves plus some sigul stone enchanted gear