Being aWerewolfinElder Scrolls Onlineisn’t for everyone. It’s challenging, has limitations, and hardly anyone plays the part. However, you can make some extremely powerfulBuildswith the right information and right guidance. In thisGuideI will show you everything there is to know about playing as aWerewolf. This includes:Races,Classes,Armor,Weapons,SetsandChampion Points. I won’t cover the history of this Skill Line, since there have been so many changes it would take a full article just to do that. Instead I will simply give you the updated information on howWerewolvescurrently work as ofUpdate 19 Wolfhunter.
Werewolf Basics
We’ll start with the basics ofWerewolfbefore moving on to advanced concepts. The first thing you need to know about thisUltimateability is that it can be acquired by being bitten by high levelWerewolvesinESO, but the easiest way is to be bitten by another player at one of the game’sWerewolf Shrines. These are located inReaper’s March,The RiftandBangkorai, see the maps below for their exact locations. You can also purchase thisSkill Linefrom theCrown Storeif you are really desperate, but there is almost always someone willing to give a free bite.
While you are inWerewolf Formyou will lose access to to all current skills and abilities and gain those of theWerewolf Skill Linefor the duration. The following is a brief rundown of the positives and negatives of being aWerewolfand what you can expect when inWerewolf Form:
When in Werewolf Form
When in Human Form
Applied When in Werewolf Form
Not Applied When in Werewolf Form
Werewolf Races and Classes
So what can we make of all that? This is mostly good news for players looking toWerewolfas it means that they can create aBuildthat is also effective outside ofWerewolf Formand most of it will carry over. This means that you’ll want to choose aRaceandClassthat benefitsWerewolfbecause those bonuses will apply. BecauseWerewolvesgain about ~25%Max Staminawhen transformed, ideally you would choose aRacethat includesMax Staminain its bonuses, but it is not required. Below you’re able to see the Races suggested and Classes, see for yourself which would work best:
Dragonknight
Nightblade
You can see above that really anyClasscan play aWerewolf, so don’t be overly concerned by which Class you are.
Remaining in Werewolf Form
This biggest challenge of being aWerewolfis remaining one once transformed, so timing when to use thisUltimateis crucial. 30 seconds may not seem like a long time, but there are many ways to increase this, namely the passives in theWerewolf Skill Line:
Devour - This passive will give you additional time and Health while you are eating a corpse. Since this is now a channel it can be used more effectively. This is pretty easy to do inPvE, but not always so easy to do inPvP.
Bloodrage - This passive will effectively keep you inWerewolf Formas long as you are hitting a target with regularity and is probably the most important to maintainingWerewolf Form. You’ll want to make sure you’re in the thick of battle as often as you may because of this.
Call of the Pack - This ability will reduce the rate at which yourWerewolftimer ticks depending on how many Werewolves there are in your group. This is not something that will be overly useful inPvE, but you could coordinate a group ofWerewolvesforPvP.
Feral Pounce - While not a passive skill, this morph ofPouncewill give you an additional 4 seconds when leaping at targets more than 10 meters away so I included it here. It’s not a lot, but since you will be usingPouncequite a bit, it can help give you just enough time to get back into the action where you’re able to get hit on.
Werewolf Champion Points
As a Werewolf there are some things you need to know about how the different stars affect certain abilities. Let’s take a look at how the different trees will affect you as aWerewolf:
Tenacity- This star increases the amount ofStaminareturned when using aHeavy Attack.Werewolvesget +100%Staminareturned when using aHeavy Attack, and if you’re wearing 5 pieces ofHeavy Armoryou will get an additional 25%, so there is good synergy here.
Physical Weapon Expert- This star increases the damage of yourLightandHeavy Attackswhile inWerewolf Form, but not the bleed damage.
Master-At-Arms- This star increases the damage of yourPounce,Piercing Howland the initial damage ofInfectious Claws. It also increases the damage of your Light and Heavy Attacks.
Thaumaturge- This start increases the damage of yourLight Attackbleed and the DoT caused byInfectious Claws.
Hardy- This star will help to offset some of thePoison Damageyou take.
You can pretty much figure out how you want to spend the rest of the points, but focusing on defense is the priority.
Werewolf Sets
There are many different Sets players wishing toWerewolfcan use. SinceWerewolfis aStamina-based Skill Line, you’ll either want to chooseHeavyorMedium Armor. I strongly recommendMedium ArmorforPvEto increase your damage, andHeavy ArmorforPvPto increase yourResistances. Keep in mind that you can mix and matchHeavyandMedium Setsand thatWerewolvesincrease not onlyStaminabutWeapon Damageby a good percentage. Let’s take a look at someSetsplayers may wish to utilize when playing aWerewolf:
Medium Armor Werewolf Sets
Salvation- This is probably the most obvious choice for would beWerewolves. Not only does it have 2Max Staminabonuses, but it reduces the cost ofWerewolf Transformationby 100Ultimate. On top of that, it grants 154Weapon Damagewhile inWerewolf Form.
Bone Pirate’s Tatters- This is another excellent choice. Not only does it have 2Max Staminabonuses, but the 5 piece bonus also provides another 2000Stamina, meaning you’ll get at least another 1000Staminafrom this set when you transform, and even more when you include yourRacial Passives.
Draugr Hulk- This Set is entirelyMax Stamina, which is perfect for for aWerewolf! Consider mixing a Set that has someWeapon Damageif you take this one, else you won’t take advantage of the increasedWeapon DamageWerewolvesprovide.
Quick Serpent- A tougher Set to acquire, but it has 2Max Staminabonuses and its cost reduction and movement speed increase are both extremely useful.
Spriggan’s Thorns- 2Max Stamina,Weapon DamageANDPhysical Penetration. An all around good Set for aWerewolf.
Shacklebreaker- Not only does this Set haveWeapon DamageandMax Stamina, it also hasMax MagickaandMagicka Recovery, which gives you almost another cast of Hircine’s Bounty and let’s you use it more often.
Heavy Armor Sets
Black Rose- This Set providesMax Health,Stamina,Magicka,Spell Damage, andWeapon Damagein addition to a 35% increase in resources returned byConstitution. All of these things are useful to aWerewolf.
Reactive Armor- This Set is extremely useful inPvPand will definitely keep you alive longer than you should be. Don’t consider this one if you’re aPvE Werewolf.
Shacklebreaker- Since this Set is crafted you may make it inHeavy Armoras well.
Monster Helm Sets
Mighty Chudan- A good source forMajor WardandMajor Protectionwhile inWerewolf Form. If you’re wearing fullHeavy Armorthis will put you in the area of 31,000Resistancewhen transformed (without a Shield equipped).
Pirate Skeleton- This Set not only gives you someResistance, but reduces your damage by 30% every so often. It does work withWerewolf, so there are no issues there.
Sourge Harvester- A great Set to help keep you alive that makesHircine’s Bountyheal for a LOT.
Troll King- I’d only recommend this Set if you chose eitherOrcorNordas it will synergize well with theirHealth Recoverypassives.
Velidreth- An excellent Set for some burst damage. The 1 piece bonus isWeapon Damage, so that’s a plus.
Spawn of Mephala- Trash until recently, now this Set givesMax Staminaas its 1 piece bonus and since you’ll be doing lots of fully-chargedHeavy Attacksas aWerewolfthis will work well. I’m curious to see if this works withPoisonous Serpent Set.
Selene- Again, a good source of burst damage against a single target.
Molag Kena- This set synergizes well withWerewolfbecause you will be doing a lot ofLight Attacks.
Final Tips for Werewolves
The main issueWerewolveshave is that they have no defensive abilities, making them hard to keep alive. You cannot bubble, or cleanse negative effects, so you will have to reduce damage and “out heal” what you take. This is one of the main reasons many players don’t playWerewolvesand why they are much better in a group. If you’re PvPing, especially in a small group or alone,Heavy Armoris almost a must because you won’t be able to cleanse DoTs easily. You will also run into trouble if any form ofDefileis applied to you, because you cannot rid yourself of it.
BecauseWerwolvesregain so muchStaminafromHeavy Attacksit isn’t as necessary to have highStamina Recovery. Play around withRecoveryandDamageand attempt to find your sweet spot for your setup.Heavy Attacksare easier to perform inPvEthanPvP, so you may need moreRecoverywhile inCyrodiil.
You can usePotionsto give yourselfMajor BrutalityandMajor Savagerywhile inWerewolf Form, further increasing your damage. Spend the gold or time crafting and get a few stacks, because they are absolutely worth it.
Weapon Damage and Stamina now give about the same damage when it comes to Light and Heavy Attacks. This is a huge change and it used to be each point of Weapon Damage was worth 40 Stamina. This is no longer the case, and you should take advantage of it when choosing Sets. you’re able to get 60k Stamina with the right setup and this will make your Light and Heavy Attacks hit for a ton of damage!
Commit fully to playing aWerewolfif you want to be successful. That is to say, get all theArmoryou need, get theGlyphsyou need, respec yourSkillsandChampion Points. Don’t half-ass it and see if you like it before you decide to commit because you won’t succeed and you’ll just waste your time. Playing aWerewolftakes dedication and practice and isn’t something you will be great at immediately. Keep at it and before you know it you’ll strike “fear” into the hearts of your enemies and be a “howling” success.
