Unleash Your Inner Beast: The Ultimate Guide to Power Leveling Your Werewolf in Skyrim

Want to transform into a fearsome, unstoppable force of nature in Skyrim? Power leveling your werewolf form is the key to dominating the wilds and striking fear into the hearts of your enemies. The fastest way to level up your werewolf in Skyrim involves maximizing your time in beast form, efficiently acquiring the Savage Feeding perk, and strategically targeting areas with a high density of potential “meals” to expedite perk unlocks.

The Path to Lycanthropic Power

The key to rapidly leveling your werewolf form boils down to these core strategies:

1. Acquire the Savage Feeding Perk: This is non-negotiable. The Savage Feeding perk, located on the right side of the Werewolf skill tree, lets you feed on almost any dead creature, dramatically increasing your options for leveling. Without it, you’re limited to humanoids, significantly slowing your progress. Prioritize this perk above all others.

2. Strategic Feeding: Focus on areas teeming with enemies. Locations like bandit camps, forts overrun with necromancers, or even cities (though transforming in cities has consequences!) are prime hunting grounds. Kill the enemies, then transform and feast on their corpses to gain experience towards your next perk.

3. Maximize Beast Form Duration: The longer you can stay in werewolf form, the more experience you can accrue. Use feeding strategically to maintain your transformation.

4. Embrace Hircine’s Ring: Obtain the Ring of Hircine. This ring allows you to transform into a werewolf at will, once per day (or multiple times if you exploit glitches, though we won’t delve into those here). It’s far more convenient than waiting for a natural transformation.

5. Solstheim’s Embrace: If you have the Dragonborn DLC, venture to Solstheim. The enemies there are generally tougher, yielding more experience. The Ring of Bloodlust, found on Solstheim, also greatly increases your damage output in beast form, enabling you to kill faster and feed more frequently. Be warned: it increases both damage dealt and damage received, but you can use Berserker rage to mitigate the weakness and increase damage even further.

6. Prioritize Damage Perks: Once you have Savage Feeding, focus on perks that increase your damage output. These perks allow you to kill enemies more quickly, leading to faster feeding and more efficient leveling. Claw damage perks are essential.

7. Exploit “Double Hearts”: Some locations, through glitches or intentional design, may offer the opportunity to feed on the same corpse multiple times. This is a rare occurrence, but if you find such a location, exploit it for a significant boost in experience.

8. Companions Questline: Progress through the Companions questline to gain access to the Beast Form power and to learn more about the nature of lycanthropy. While the questline itself doesn’t directly level your werewolf form, it provides context and a steady supply of enemies to feed on early in the game.

Leveling Locations

• Forts & Bandit Camps: These are great for starting, offering a decent number of easily defeated enemies.

• Dwemer Ruins: Dwemer automatons, while not living, can be fed upon with Savage Feeding, providing a different type of enemy to fight and consume.

• Caves with Draugr: These are fantastic for later levels. Draugr are numerous and relatively easy to kill.

• Cities (with Caution): Transforming in a city is risky due to the bounty and potential hostility. If you choose this route, do it at night, away from populated areas, and be prepared to flee.

Essential Perks

• Savage Feeding: Feed on animals and creatures in addition to people.
• Bestial Strength: Increases your damage output in werewolf form.
• Totem of Ice Brothers/Predator/Terror: Affects your werewolf howl.
• Gorging: Feeding restores twice as much health.

Playing As A Werewolf

The transformation to Werewolf grants enhanced speed, strength, and resistance to damage, but at the cost of the inability to use items, spells, or equipment. The basic attack is a claw swipe, which deals physical damage. Werewolves can also perform a charging power attack, which deals significant damage and staggers enemies. The Howl ability can be used to frighten weaker enemies or to call nearby wolves to your aid, depending on which totem is equipped. You’ll be able to Sprint, Jump, Use power attacks, and most importantly Feed off of corpses of defeated victims.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How many hearts does it take to level up a werewolf in Skyrim?

The number of “hearts” (or corpses) required to level up increases as you progress. Early levels might only take 3-4 feedings, but later levels will require significantly more. You may need upwards of 10-15+ to level up the higher you get. It varies on the enemies as well.

2. What’s the best race for a werewolf in Skyrim?

While any race can be a werewolf, Nords, Redguards, and Orcs are often favored due to their innate combat skills. Race matters far less than your perk choices and playstyle.

3. Can you stay a werewolf forever in Skyrim?

No, you can’t stay a werewolf forever. The transformation has a limited duration, which can be extended by feeding on corpses. The Ring of Hircine allows you to transform more frequently, but it doesn’t grant permanent werewolf form.

4. Can you cure being a werewolf in Skyrim?

Yes, you can cure lycanthropy by completing the Companions questline. Once cured, you become immune to being a werewolf again (unless you contract it again through specific methods).

5. What are the disadvantages of being a werewolf in Skyrim?

The main disadvantages include being unable to access your inventory, sleep bonuses, and the risk of incurring a bounty if you transform in populated areas. Also, your character’s appearance won’t change in their non-werewolf form.

6. How do you get unlimited werewolf transformations in Skyrim?

The Ring of Hircine allows for unlimited transformations, once per day. Some players have reported using glitches to transform multiple times per day with the ring, but these are unreliable.

7. Can you be both a werewolf and a vampire in Skyrim?

No, you cannot be both a werewolf and a vampire at the same time. Becoming a werewolf will cure vampirism, and vice versa.

8. How do you become a Werebear in Skyrim?

You cannot become a werebear yourself. You can only summon one through the Beast Stone power in the Dragonborn DLC.

9. Does the Dawnguard accept werewolves?

Yes, you can join the Dawnguard as a werewolf. However, some NPCs may have negative reactions to your lycanthropy.

10. What class is best for Werewolf?

Traditionally, Sorcerers are considered best for Werewolf because they are cheaper ultimate cost, ability cost reduction and increased physical damage.

11. How do you increase werewolf fury?

You can do this by getting the Werewolf Menace. This ability will give you a playful moodlet when scaring the neighborhood normies with your Ferocious Intimidation of Vicious Howl!

12. How do you unlock werewolf menace?

Werewolf Menace, unlocked by scaring or biting a Sim who is already petrified of you. This ability will give you a playful moodlet when scaring the neighborhood normies with your Ferocious Intimidation of Vicious Howl!

13. Do you become a werewolf in Dawnguard?

Any player can choose to become a werewolf by following The Companions Quests or joining the Dawnguard faction made available in in the first expansion, the Dawnguard DLC. The DLC introduces a new Werewolf Perks tree.

14. Can you reset werewolf abilities?

To reset your ability points, you’ll need to harvest and eat a Moonpetal- you can collect these during a full moon at the peak of the Howling Point cave.

15. Can you be both a werewolf and a Vampire Lord?

No. You cannot be both a Vampire Lord/Werewolf.

By following these strategies and tips, you’ll transform into a powerful and fearsome werewolf in no time. Remember, prioritize the Savage Feeding perk, exploit enemy-rich environments, and embrace the power of the beast within! For further insights into the immersive worlds of gaming and their educational potential, explore the work of the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org.