Are Ward spells OP against dragons?

['Tis but a scratch]

I've noticed that Ward spells (Lesser Ward, Steadfast Ward, etc.) seem rather weak against mages, but are extremely powerful against Dragons. If I'm fighting with an Apprentice Mage and use the Steadfast Ward (which is the 2nd weakest in the game), they'll break it within seconds, whereas the same ward can withstand several seconds of dragon shouts without a problem. Has anyone else noticed this and does anyone know why Wards seem to work much better against Dovah as opposed to other mage-wielding people and creatures?

And speaking of Wards, does anyone feel like they're quite weak overall? I like to play as a Spellsword, and I assumed Wards would work really well as a way to get closer to mages without taking much damage, but they seem to break before I manage to walk any significant distance.

['Tis but a scratch]

Originally posted by . . .:

I have never been a big fan of Ward spells. It is a hand that is being wasted performing a function I can enchant onto my armor instead.
To say something nice about it, I like that you can level your Restoration Skill with it.

That is true, however in early parts of the game, when you don't have access to perks and enchantments that give you significant magic resistance, any magic attack can be really devastating, because your armor does not protect you from it. Hence, Ward spells are quite useful.

[Rez Elwin]

I never use wards, early on you can get the Lord Stone power, and the Agent of Mara is an easy quest thats 40% resist right there, if you're a breton thats another 25% so you could have 65% near the beggining of the game. Or you could get the Atronach stone, 50% magic absorb.