You were fairly vague on “mage” so you could try a spellblade… Ward is a very strong defence option… I was able to make it to level 80 deathless (in normal play) without much effort (or bis gear) using a Flamereave Firebrand Fire version… There is both a fire & lightning version that are end-game normal play viable and will probably be pretty good in hardcore if you are a better player than me… Unfortunately both do require some uniques which could be a problem. Fireband Flame Reave Fire Version… Million Damage Lightning Low Life