How To Become A Werewolf In The Elder Scrolls Online (Pros/Cons/Unlocks)

With millions of adventurers eager to enter the online world of Tamriel there’s a single question that many seek to answer, how to become a Werewolf in The Elder Scrolls Online? As with previous titles in the Elder Scrolls franchise ESO’s Werewolf feature is very in-depth and offers a variety of unique benefits coupled with a few cons as well. This how to become a Werewolf in The Elder Scrolls Online guide will show you how to unlock the Sanies Lupinus disease as well as the perks and negatives of doing so.

How To Become A Werewolf

Werewolve’s in The Elder Scrolls Online may well be one of the games most exciting features but before we bother looking into anything else, let me provide the answer to your initial question. Unlocking the ability to transform into a Werewolf in ESO is a very similar process to that of previous titles – you need to contract the Sanies Lupinus disease from another Werewolf or infected individual. The easiest way to contract the disease during early level gameplay is to locate another player who has already been infected. Those that carry the Sanies Lupinus disease are able to bite another player one time per week and must do so at special Ritual Sites (One of which can be found in Reaper’s March). The newly infected player will then see the Sanies Lupinus icon appear in the active effects menu and a new quest will launch, Hircine’s Gift. Completing this quest is the only way to become a fully fledged Werewolf or remove the disease.

It’s likely that finding players willing to infect you during the early weeks of release will be difficult as many will reserve that right for fellow guild members and allies. However, if you want to brave the challenge there is an alternate choice, fighting the beasts themselves. They mostly spawn randomly in the higher level areas but there are a few locations that they appear in a more reliable fashion. There is a quest in Mournhold that will challenge you to fight off a wave of invading Werewolves. Sadly however this is Ebon Heart Pact territory so members of the other Alliances may struggle. I wasn’t able to locate similar quests for the Daggerfall Covenant and Aldmeri Dominion but if you know of any, please leave a comment and your name will be credited to the guide.

It’s worth noting that players infected with Vampirism cannot contract the Sanies Lupinus disease and therefore cannot become a Werewolf.

Werewolf Skills & Abilities

After completing Hircine’s Gift and choosing to embrace the power of the Werewolf you’ll gain access to a special skill line not available to anyone without the Sanies Lupinus disease. For additional in-game information on the abilities you can check the World Skills tab. It’s worth noting that the vast majority of skills mentioned are only available whilst in Werewolf form.

In order to utilize the abilities you will need to use the Werewolf Transformation skill. This will replace any current ability in your Ultimate Slot and requires a lot of Ultimate Energy to use. Whilst under the effects of the Werewolf Transformation skill you’ll gain extra stamina and attack damage, increased running speed and additional armor. Once transformed you will not be able to access any weapons or abilities from other skill lines.

Ability IconAbility DescriptionAbility Type

Werewolf Pounce

Player leaps to target, dealing Physical Damage and stunning off-balance targets
Active

Werewolf Roar

Unleashes a beastly roar causing fear, disorientation and off balance to enemies within 6m
Affects up to 3 nearby enemies
Active

Werewolf Blood Rage

Generates 2/5 Ultimate, takes damage
Must be in human form
Must have Werewolf slotted
Passive

Werewolf Devour

Devour humanoid corpses to earn more time in werewolf form
Passive

Werewolf Bloodmoon

Allows player to turn another player into a Werewolf once every 7 days by returning to the Werewolf ritual site
Turned players earn the Werewolf Skill Line
Players infected with Vampirism cannot be turned
Passive

Werewolf Pursuit

Increases max stamina in Werewolf form
Passive

Werewolf Savage Strength

Increases max stamina by 3% for each kill
Effect stacks up to 5 times
Passive

Werewolf Call Of The Pack

Causes allies in Werewolf form to stay transformed longer
Affects up to 5 targets in a 15m radius and stacks up to 5 times
Passive

Werewolf Transformation

Transforms Player into a Werewolf, causing Fear in nearby enemies
Increases armor, speed and stamina
Strength and attack damage derived from stamina pool

Ultimate

The Werewolf skill line is best suited to characters that have focused heavily on stamina during character progression as none of the abilities draw from the magicka pool. It’s also worth noting that the Werewolf skill line only features two active abilities, forcing the player to rely heavily on light and heavy melee attacks for the main source of damage.

Becoming A Werewolf In The Elder Scrolls Online – Pros & Cons

The immediate pros to becoming a Werewolf are obvious. The increase in stamina, armor, speed and attack damage make them deadly on the battlefield and these elements can be enhanced further through the use of Morphed Transformation – this unlocks additional effects including scaling attack speed per hit and a damage over time attribute to basic attacks.

The negative aspects of the Werewolf may not be so obvious when players first contract the disease. The biggest threat to Werewolves comes from members of the Fighters Guild. The well trained enemies of the furry fiends are able to use the Skilled Tracker ability that increases their combat prowess against Undead, Daedra and Werewolves.

Another heavy negative worth noting is the Werewolves weakness to poison damage. This weakness is applied whether or not the player is in the transformed state or human state. There are limited poison based abilities in-game at the moment however the ones that are available are all attached to ranged player attacks, so it can be a real problem in the PvP space.

Should I Become A Werewolf?

Ultimately, the choice is up to you. You’ve learned of the pros and cons in regards to mechanics but there are many other elements to take into account. Maybe you’d like to take to the hills and ravage defenseless settlements as a pack of Werewolves with your guild mates or maybe you want to stalk the shadows near one of the many Skyshards in Cyrodiil as you wait for an unsuspecting victim, the choice is yours.

The biggest impact on your choice is really the path you choose when leveling your character. Choosing the Werewolf skill line is very viable and beneficial to those who choose to increase their stamina pool but for magicka based characters, a lot of the perks are wasted. There is however an alternative choice, Vampirism. The opposite of the Werewolf in many ways the Vampire uses magicka as their damage base and doesn’t need to transform in order to use the associated abilities. If you want to learn more about the benefits and weaknesses of choosing the path of the Vampire click here. We’ve also got a comparison article if you’re still struggling to make up your mind. Vampire or Werewolf in The Elder Scrolls Online? The choice is yours. Contributors Ralestorm Preston Holzhauer Thermal-Twelve FallofDemons Daniel Ross

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