What’s The Best Class for Werewolf in ESO? - Hack the Minotaur (2024)

Lycanthropy in The Elder Scrolls Online allows you to unleash your bestial appetite by transforming into a formidable Werewolf, gaining access to a whole new class with its own set of skills and passives. This monstrous form is very much geared for Stamina builds, focusing on dealing damage while being pretty durable and having access to unparalleled speed.

In this guide, we’ll delve deep into the forests of Tamriel to identify the best class for Werewolf. Our evaluation will focus on the many passives from each class that remain active during your transformation that boost your power, as well as thematic synergy with the primal essence of lycanthropy.

Werewolf enthusiasts have had reason to celebrate as the skill line has seen certain improvements: with buffs to bleeds, Haemorrhaging and other status effects in Update 41, accompanied by some changes to class passives that persist while transformed, Werewolf builds are becoming more viable for both solo and group content. These changes have narrowed the performance gap between Werewolf builds and other classes in their human form.

It’s important to note that while we’ll identify the optimal class for Werewolf in ESO, this ranking should not deter you from playing your favorite character: any class can offer an enjoyable experience because all class skills and most class passives are disabled while you’re transformed. Plus, the Werewolf form introduces its own set of active and passive skills.

Each class can bring its unique flavor to the hunt, so join Hircine and cause carnage as you wander the moonlit wilderness of Tamriel!

ESO Best Class for Werewolf

The best Werewolf classes in ESO are:

1. Sorcerer
2. Templar
3. Nightblade
4. Necromancer

1. Sorcerer

The Sorcerer class in ESO is undeniably the top choice for a werewolf build for both PVE and PVP. Following the recent Update 41: Scions of Ithelia, Sorcerer Werewolves have seen significant improvements in their performance. They boast DPS parses that rival other classes in their natural form, meaning you will still be able to perform well in group content. Sorcerer will definitely be your top pick for a Werewolf DPS Build moving forward!

Thematically, Stamina Sorcerers align well with Lycanthropy: akin to hunters in their natural form, wielding bows or daggers, the class is already the fastest thing on the battlefield, seamlessly complementing the predatory nature of Werewolves. Utilizing the Brutal Pounce Skill also mimics some of the mobility that Sorcerers should already be used to in combat.

What makes the Sorcerer class truly excel as a Werewolf is the many class passives that persist through transformation. Firstly, the newly updated Expert Summoner passive remains active even in Werewolf form, granting an insane boost to max Stamina and therefore damage –again, making the Sorcerer a top pick for using Werewolf as a Stamina DPS. This also synergizes exceptionally well with Werewolf Transformation, which offers another 30% increase in max Stamina. This passive alone makes Sorcerer Werewolf damage on par with other classes in optimized meta builds.

Additionally, the Sorcerer class offers vital ability cost reduction through the Unholy Knowledge passive, crucial for sustaining the resource-intensive Werewolf skills. The Power Stone passive significantly alleviates the burden of maintaining Werewolf form by reducing ultimate costs and the Persistence passive provides extra cost reduction to abilities after blocking an attack, further enhancing sustain in combat.

On the other hand, the Energized passive enhances Physical damage, perfectly complementing Werewolf skills like Howl of Agony. Meanwhile, the Amplitude passive empowers Sorcerer Werewolves to deliver devastating blows when facing enemies at full health, acting as a reverse-execute. Collectively, these passives elevate the Sorcerer class to unparalleled heights compared to other classes in the apex predator form.

The Sorcerer class also offers potential for niche playstyles. Sorcerers excel in heavy attack builds in their natural form due to their Lightning damage passives and the simplicity of the class. Meanwhile, Berserker Werewolves using Ferocious Roar benefit from exceptionally fast heavy attacks that apply a bleed effect to enemies hit.

Combining these traits creates a dynamic gameplay loop: you can begin in your natural form with a ranged one-bar lightning staff build, and transform into a beast when your ultimate is ready. In Werewolf form, unleash frenzied Area-Of-Effect (AOE) melee heavy attacks and bleeds, with the option to switch gear using sets like Blood Moon. This blend of versatility and power appeals to players who master the arcane arts while embracing their primal instincts.

Secondly, in PVP scenarios, players can optimize their Werewolf gameplay by utilizing the Imperial Physique set and carrying 10,000 Tel Var stones to achieve a 4x Tel Var multiplier. This setup not only bolsters their Health, Magicka, and Stamina but also synergizes with their Werewolf form and the Expert Summoner passive for massive resource pools. Plus, it’s very easy to maintain Werewolf form in the Imperial City, thanks to the abundance of NPCs available for feeding. This enables you to farm Tel Vars and make a lot of gold, especially as a pack of Werewolves, running at incredible speeds.

2. Templar

The synergy between Templar passives and Werewolf abilities allows Werewolf Templars to deal competitive damage compared with other classes in their human form. This makes them a viable option for group content, providing an exciting opportunity for players who wish to embrace the Werewolf form while maintaining effectiveness in team settings.

Notably, the Burning Light passive continues to proc even when transformed, providing a significant boost to damage output. Burning Light scales with offensive stats and therefore gets enhanced by the Werewolf’s increased Stamina pool and the Weapon and Spell damage granted by the Savage Strength passive. Since hybridization, Stamina Templar has access to additional Spell damage from the Balanced Warrior passive making Templar Werewolves formidable adversaries on the battlefield.

On the other hand, the 5% ability and ultimate cost reduction provided by the Templar passive, Restoring Spirit, prove invaluable in mitigating the already hefty costs of Werewolf skills as well as enabling you to transition into Werewolf form quicker.

While a staple in certain endgame encounters, the bow Stamina Templar class offers an engaging gameplay experience akin to that of a ranger, which can thematically capture the essence of a Werewolf. Furthermore, a niche playstyle emerges where Templar Werewolves can strategically exit their Werewolf form by activating the ultimate again in order to use the extremely potent Radiant Oppression during execute phases.

This unique tactic not only brings Templar Werewolf damage on par with other classes utilizing their class skills but also introduces a dynamic gameplay loop. By seamlessly transitioning between Werewolf and human form, it adds depth to the gameplay and makes Templar Werewolves more adaptable than other Werewolf classes in various combat situations.

3. Nightblade

Werewolf is an excellent fit for the Nightblade class thematically: in human form, Nightblades embody the spirit of a bloodthirsty predator, stalking through the dense foliage, ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey, with the stealth and cunning of a hunter. Plus, the subtle and discreet animations of Nightblades, reminiscent of blades, bows, and other tools of a hunter, further enhance the compatibility of the class with Lycanthropy.

Nightblades also make great Werewolves thanks to the Catalyst and Transfer passives, enabling them to generate ultimate very quickly, even out of combat by chugging potions, for swift Werewolf transformations. The Master Assassin passive remains active while transformed and provides crucial penetration when flanking an enemy, allowing you to wear more Medium pieces of gear in the context of group content, enhancing damage, stamina sustain and movement speed.

Additionally, the Executioner passive offers sustain on kills, making it fairly easy to manage the high costs of Werewolf skills in fights with lots of lower health enemies dying constantly. The Refreshing Shadows passive boosts recoveries further by a flat 15%, complementing Werewolf’s passive 15% Stamina Recovery bonus. The added Magicka Recovery from this passive is not wasted and is useful to sustain your Werewolf magicka abilities, specifically your burst heal which costs over 5000 Magicka to cast, while the bolstered Health Recovery provides some Healing-Over-Time (HOT), especially when using potions that give Major Endurance.

Finally, Nightblades can slot skills like Leeching Strikes, Concealed Weapon, Relentless Focus, Shadowy Disguise, and the ultimate Soul Harvest on either bar solely for their passive buffs. This allows you to benefit from amazing damage from these while casting only a handful of skills, making Nightblade Werewolf very accessible while in its humanoid form.

4. Necromancer

The Necromancer class offers a unique perspective on Werewolf gameplay, delving deeper into the illegal dark arts of Nirn with its inherently macabre nature.

Necromancers boasts the best ultimate generation in the game, allowing you to spend little time in your natural form. You can refresh buff skills like Summoner’s Armor and Spirit Guardian early, even out of combat, to build ultimate quickly by consuming the corpses they create with Necrotic Potency.

While many of the Necromancer’s passives rely on active or slotted class skills, some still benefit the Werewolf Necromancer. The Last Gasp passive increases Max Health and therefore the potency of your health-scaling Werewolf burst heal.

However, what makes Necromancer Werewolf powerful is the fact that the Rapid Rot passive remains active in Werewolf form, enhancing your Damage-Over-Time effects (DOTs) which synergizes very well with the Berserker Werewolf kit. Additionally, the diverse damage types of Werewolf skills enable a range of status effects to proc, especially when using the Charged trait on weapons. Incorporating sets that offer access to even more damage, status effects and DOTs in your build allows you to further exploit Rapid Rot and maximize DPS.

Sadly, it’s worth noting that, for unknown reasons, the bleed from Berserker Werewolf light attacks cannot apply the Haemorrhaging status effect, limiting a further damage increase.

Finally, since Rapid Rot significantly boosts the damage of Claws of Life, the Werewolf skill offers substantial healing when applied to large groups of enemies in PVE. And paired with the Ring of the Pale Order, all those damage ticks can make up for even more healing in solo or duo content like the Infinite Archive.

How to Play a Werewolf in ESO

The Werewolf playstyle remains popular in The Elder Scrolls Online due to its power and simplicity. This comes partly from Werewolf Passives such as Savage Strength which increases your Weapon Damage and Spell Damage while also boosting your Physical Resistance and Spell Resistance. Most of your active abilities also come with built-in passive bonuses such as extra weapon damage and spell damage when slotting Hircine’s Bounty, extra Critical Chance for slotting Ferocious Roar, and extra Max Stamina and Stamina Recovery for using the Werewolf transformation ultimate itself. It’s also worth noting that light and heavy attacks can cause bonus Bleed Damage, so make sure to incorporate those basic attacks in your rotation as well!