Let’s turn into a Skyrim werewolf.
Like Vampires, Werewolves are much fancied for their beastly powers. Personally, it is super thrilling to run wild and kill adversaries with just bare hands.
For context, it takes only a few swipes to slay giants, taking even less time when I do it with my best weapons (I have pretty deadly ones using console commands).
So, let’s see how to become a Skyrim Werewolf after we know the pros and cons and some basic brush up.
What does it mean to be a Skyrim Werewolf?
Put simply, drinking the blood of a werewolf gives you lycanthropy, a disease by which you turn into a deadly beast once per day for a limited time at the start. Subsequently, one kills and feeds to increase the in-wolf durations and the powers that come attached.
In short, it’s fun and feels supremely powerful while fighting giants, cave bears, etc.
But there are both sides to it, and you should know it before choosing this bloodthirsty gameplay style.
Benefits
First, you can transform at any time of the day with no side effects, as seen with vampirism because of sunlight.
Besides, the werewolf is gifted with a higher sprint speed, lethal power, sprinting attacks, faster stamina regeneration, and no bounty addition for wolf-actions if you’ve transformed in private.
Additionally, the beast has its own perk tree and is immune to diseases.
And finally, you would get assistance from any nearby wolf if you don’t attack them.
Drawbacks
Animals don’t use Google maps, do they? Following suit, Skyrim has kept the maps (and the fast travel) away from the werewolves.
Consequently, you also can’t place markers in the beastly form. So, you would be running based on the destinations pre-set as a human.
Besides, a werewolf has no access to potions or magic spells. This also means that health regeneration is only possible with feeding.
1 feed equals 30 additional in-wolf seconds
Moreover, you can’t undo the werewolf form per your will. The only option back to being human is waiting it out, which is roughly 2.5 minutes in real time if you haven’t fed in between.
Alternatively, you can speed up the time to get out of it.
The Dragonborn can also fast forward 24 hours to become a wolf again in the absence of the Ring of Hircine (discussed later).
And while your wolf crimes carry no bounty, any witnessed transformations (even wolf to human) will put you on the hotlist.
Lastly, you can open the doors as a wolf but can’t lockpick.
And did I forget to mention the obvious lack of ranged attacks while you’re a wolf?
So, these were a few things to take note of upfront. But let’s wolfify your Skyrim gameplay if you still think the grass is greener on the other side.
Becoming A Skyrim Wolf
One can contract lycanthropy by completing a blood ritual during The Companions questline. These guys are the warrior band of Whiterun with headquarters in the Jorrvaskr.
Enter it and head downstairs to find their leader, Kodlak Whitemane, and ask to join the companion’s ranks.
Subsequently, he will direct Vilkas (sitting on his right) to test your worth. Next, you meet Vilkas outside to successfully complete a short evaluation which is just about taking a few swings at him.
Afterward, it’s basically following the storyline and doing a few tasks given by the companions.
The idea is to keep doing these side-quests and ask for more work within the Jorrvaskr from Skjor (or Vilkas and others).
The last one among them is Proving Honor, where you’re directed to retrieve the Fragment of Wuuthrad with Farkas as your shield brother. This is also where you first witness a human-to-werewolf transformation.
Lastly, meet Skjor, and ask for some more work, and he will instruct you to meet at the Underforge at night.
This is the place for the blood ritual:
Here Skjor will fill the Underforge fountain with the werewolf blood, and you can take a sip to become one.
However, this is entirely optional, and you can choose to differ and later come back to the Underforge to complete joining the companions.
Next, you wake up as a werewolf just outside the Underforge.
Now you can either speed up the time a few hours to get back to human form or run through the Whiterun wreaking havoc.
Either way, you find yourself (as a human) outside of Whiterun talking to Aela to participate in the susbequent quests.
Being a wolf adds Beast Form in the Magic tab (Powers), which you can use once per day to transform.
Ring of Hircine
Ring of Hircine bestows the power to transform many times a day, provided you’ve already turned into a werewolf.
You can obtain this by completing I’ll Met by Moonlight quest in Falkreath.
While we’re not doing that quest’s walkthrough here, it’s very interesting, and you should consider playing it to get the Ring of Hircine.
As a shortcut, you have this console command: player.additem 0002ac60 1, which will give you one such ring instantly.
Next, you can equip this from the Apparel section and favorite it from the Magic (Powers) tab.
This will have you turn into a werewolf by pressing the power key as per will without any restrictions.
How to Cure Lycanthropy in Skyrim
Despite all the powers it comes with, gamers still want a way out of the werewolf form due to already listed disadvantages.
To reiterate, there is a bounty on any witnessed transformations, no maps, no lockpicking, etc. Consequently, it becomes monotonous after a while, and it’s great to know a cure is not that complex.
But personally, I don’t see any point in curing it as it’s not something that troubles you on its own. Plus, it feels savage hunting like this, sprints way faster, and gives a necessary break from the usual weapons.
Still, here it is if you want a way out of this impurity.
There are two instances where one can cure themselves. First, immediately after completing Glory of The Dead. And second, after purifying Vilkas and Farkas, one at a time.
Immediate Cure
After you’ve been made a wolf and completed a few missions (by asking for work inside Jorrvaskr), you’ll be summoned by Kodlak Whiteman.
This happens precisely after you complete two quests (Retrieval and Rescue Mission) and starts Blood’s Honor.
Put simply, you head to Glenmoril Coven to collect a Witch’s head which is later required to activate the harbinger of flames. This activation brings a werewolf’s wolf spirit that needs to be slayed to cure the specific companion.
And though you can just kill a single witch, take her head, and return. The best would be to take every witch’s head to cure everyone back in Jorrvaskr.
At the minimum, take four: one for Kodlak, and three for yourself, Vilkas, and Farkas.
Alternatively, you can use console command player.additem 0002996F X, where X is the number of Witches heads you need in the inventory.
This completes Blood’s Honor.
Next comes Purity of Revenge to avenge Kodlak’s death (he gets killed when you return after completing Blood’s Honor), followed by Glory of the Dead.
This takes place at Ysgramor’s Tomb with you and your companions warriors fighting the companions ghosts to reach the harbinger flame.
Here you see Kodlak’s spirit, and the conversation ends with you activating the Flame of the Harbinger.
This releases Kodlak’s beast spirit, which you’ve to kill to cure Kodlak of the curse, giving you the title Harbinger of Companions.
Subsequently, you can repeat the process for yourself and put another head in the flames to kill your wolf spirit.
Doing this will cure you, and there won’t be much left to be done at Jorrvaskr if you choose this path.
Alternatively, you can…..
Cure Lycanthropy Later
Jorrvaskr remains lively if you come without curing yourself with a few more missions to play.
Next, you can keep asking for work with Vilkas and Farkas. Finally, one of them opens up about a personal issue.
This starts Purity, where Farkas accompanies you back to the Ysgramor’s Tomb. Since that place is already cleared, this will take a few minutes or less if you use fast travel.
Upon reaching the tomb, you can take the usual route or the short one from where you returned after curing Kodlak.
Anyway, it will be a short trip without any obstacles.
Finally, you can activate the flame as previously to release Farkas’s beast spirit and kill it to cure him of Lycanthropy.
Similarly, one has to repeat the process for Vilkas by asking for more work, taking note of his personal issues, and going through this one more time before curing themselves.
If not immediately after cleansing both the brothers from impurity, you can also visit the Ysgramor’s Tomb anytime and cast a witch’s head to release and kill your own beast spirit.
If you are wondering, no, Aela doesn’t have any problem with lycanthropy.
So, this brings an end to this Skyrim werewolf guide.
Being a Skyrim Werewolf is Fun!
Wolves are powerful creatures with a special set of beastly abilities.
However, Skyrim has more to offer, and you can also try being a Vampire (or a Vampire Lord to cure Lycanthropy).
Being a vampire makes you a magical creature of the night with some daylight limitations. Interested? Hop out to the cure Skyrim vampirism walkthrough for pointers on how to become one and for the cure.
