In RPGs you get slaughtered frequently when you don't have a solid strategy. DKS is a very good example of that. You notice a large enemy group or a boss, you pause and make a strategy. If your tactic is a solid one, you can skip the pause part soon enough. Most of the fighting takes place in open area, use the openness to your advantage, do some maneuvering - jump and run a bit. A battlemage can very effectively use hit and run with missiles and fireball. Be innovative, try combining your skills. My char is also a dual wielding battlemage and I used Rush attack-Fire wall-whirlwind combo with deadly success. The toughest ones are fought when the door gets shut on you, with you inside of course! Nothing works like melee indoors, hack everything that moves inside a burning circle!
Stats points aren't that much important, I stopped bothering about them after I reached level 18/19 and have a lot to spare. You'll get many items that offer huge stat buffs. I get 44 intelligence points from 4 items (2 weapons, 2 jeweleries).
Don't get STUNNED often, get some indomitable will buffs from items and use intelligence boosting potions. Stun arrows are mostly followed by an explosive one, you'll be dead meat! Not every enemy ranger shots stun/explosive combo, finish off those who does asap.
If magic is your friend make sure so is Confusion. A very powerful skill and at higher levels everything around you gets stunned. I've six levels of it and +3 from an earring and the effects are stunning, literally! It doesn't work on Boss characters, but from my experience it's the ones around the bosses who does most of the damage.
The creature itself is a deciding factor. A proper use of your creature should make most fights a cakewalk. If you've a summon demon jewelry, use it before a tough fight to cast the spell and then replace it with your usual one - the demon will stay! It's a powerful fighter and takes enemy head-on. Make it even more powerful using Liken's sword and Maxos' mallet.
Even with a powerful character, you'll get slaughtered once in a while and that's the fun of it!
