The battlefield is your grove. Tend to it.
Gain 333 Weapon and Spell Damage for each status effect on your target, up to a maximum of 1665.
This is the Solo Werewolf build. If you're looking for a DPS or Tank build, check out the Werewolf DPS Build or the Werewolf Tank Build.
Werewolf Solo Build for ESO Update 51 is one of the strongest solo builds in the game for this update. Werewolf is a one bar playstyle with six skills and no weapon swap, and its Ultimate removes the resource cost from Werewolf skills. Update 51 made skills cost 2 to 3 times more, but sustain is still insane, so the build can invest more into damage and survivability instead.
This build soloed Veteran Shipwright's Regret, Veteran Icereach, Veteran Hard Mode Castle Thorn, Veteran Hard Mode March of Sacrifices, and Veteran Black Gem Foundry.
This guide covers Werewolf setups for every class. Some classes keep all three native skill lines and use Class Mastery, while others subclass into Earthen Heart and Aedric Spear for stronger passives at the cost of losing Class Mastery, because their Class Masteries are not worth using on Werewolf.
Works for all kinds of solo content - overland at any Challenge Difficulty up to Vestige, World Bosses, Maelstrom Arena, Vateshran Hollows, early arcs in Infinite Archive, and Veteran Dungeon soloing.
Skills
Dragonknight
Sorcerer
Templar
Warden
Gear
Consumables
I built a simulator that takes the current setup from the guide and plays it through the listed rotation. It uses the listed gear, skills, Champion Points, race, food, potions, target armor and target health. It tracks skill casts, light attacks, DoT ticks, cooldowns, execute scaling, crits and status effect rolls. It assumes 100% of light attacks hit and a 0.025 second weave average.
Every comparison table in this guide is the average of 10 deterministic sims, with the dummy's health spread between 5.55 and 6.45 million HP. A single sim can be off by up to 1.2%, because the result depends on when the killing hit lands. The Base Setup with the Instanced gear is treated as the default. All sims use the Aedric Spear, Earthen Heart and Storm Calling setup, which is the same on Templar, Dragonknight and Sorcerer.
For comparison tables I keep the setup identical and change one thing at a time. That makes the tables better for comparing options than random dummy parses, where one run can get better crits, different status effects or a better execute window.
| Run | DPS |
|---|---|
| Real 6m CMX parse |
77.9k DPS
|
| Deterministic sim (5.55-6.45m average) |
76.7k DPS
|
| 100 random 6m sims |
Lowest 74.3k DPS
Highest 80.4k DPS
|
Class Masteries are a system where each class picks 2 of 5 passive bonuses (Class Mastery Points, not Skill Points). Activating subclassing disables Class Mastery, so it's a tradeoff between keeping your native skill lines or subclassing.
What Works in Werewolf Form
Class choice still matters even on a Werewolf build. These are the class passives and Class Masteries that keep working while you're transformed.
| Class | Passives that work | Class Masteries that work |
|---|---|---|
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Class comparison
These DPS numbers are the average of 10 deterministic sims, with the dummy's health spread between 5.55 and 6.45 million HP.
Pick a class below to see its setup.
Skill Lines
Class Masteries
The battlefield is your grove. Tend to it.
Gain 333 Weapon and Spell Damage for each status effect on your target, up to a maximum of 1665.
Simply the best damage option.
Expose your enemies to unrelenting cold.
Applying to an enemy also applies for 2.1 seconds, increasing their Critical Damage taken by 20%.
Tundra's Maw applies
Major Brittle to enemies you
Chill, and you can apply Chill even on a Werewolf thanks to
Frost enchant on one of your weapons. You can swap it to
Green-Keeper's Hide when you want the situational survival option.
The twisting of seasons has tempered your will.
Reduce your damage taken by 3% for every status effect active on your attacker, up to a maximum of 15%.
Your situational swap. You can run it instead of
Tundra's Maw for up to 15% less damage taken.
Tap into the wellspring of permafrost's resolve.
Upgrades to also activate when casting Winter's Embrace abilities and to grant 15% Weapon and Spell Damage for 10 seconds if you are at full Health after the heal.
Not useful for this setup.
Share in the spoils of nature's abundance.
Upgrades rank 2 of to grant you and your group members for 3 seconds and an additional 125 Magicka and Stamina, up to once every 2 seconds.
Not useful for this setup.
Skill Lines
Class Masteries
Every strike, every stab, is a step towards execution.
Increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by up to 2000, based on your target's missing Health.
Reduces your damage taken by up to 20%, based on your attacker's missing Health.
Both effects are halved against targets with Battle Spirit.
The best damage option which also grants you a lot of survivability.
An assassin is only as good as their reputation.
Increases your Critical Damage and Healing by 25%. This effect is reduced to 5% against targets with Battle Spirit.
Increases your maximum Critical Damage and Healing by 30%.
Simply the best damage option.
The Night Mistress rewards those who strike without reservation.
Upgrades rank 2 of to have a chance to generate 2 Ultimate. This effect can occur once every 0.3 seconds and the chance is equal to your Weapon Critical chance.
Not useful for this setup.
This duel will be their last. For you, it's just another dance.
Activating a Nightblade ability while bracing causes you to dodge attacks for 0.3 seconds.
Whenever you dodge an attack, your attacker's psyche suffers, increasing their damage taken by 5% for 5 seconds, increasing to 20 seconds against monsters.
Not useful for this setup.
Secrets and coin are tools as sharp as the daggers you wield.
Upgrades rank 2 of to grant group members 250 Magicka and Stamina, 2 Ultimate, and doubles the Ultimate you gain when it activates.
Not useful for this setup.
Skill Lines
Subclassing
Arcanist doesn't have Class Masteries that would benefit Werewolf, so it's better to subclass. Herald of the Tome is kept for
Harnessed Quintessence. Earthen Heart is subclassed in for
Landslide,
Blessing at the Peak and
Heart of Stone. Aedric Spear is subclassed in for
Balanced Warrior and
Burning Light.
Skill Lines
Subclassing
Templar is better off with subclassing. Aedric Spear is used for
Balanced Warrior and
Burning Light. Earthen Heart is used for
Landslide,
Blessing at the Peak and
Heart of Stone. Storm Calling is used for
Capacitor,
Energized and
Amplitude.
Skill Lines
Subclassing
Dragonknight is better off with subclassing. Aedric Spear is used for
Balanced Warrior and
Burning Light. Earthen Heart is used for
Landslide,
Blessing at the Peak and
Heart of Stone. Storm Calling is used for
Capacitor,
Energized and
Amplitude.
Skill Lines
Subclassing
Sorcerer is better off with subclassing. Aedric Spear is used for
Balanced Warrior and
Burning Light. Earthen Heart is used for
Landslide,
Blessing at the Peak and
Heart of Stone. Storm Calling is used for
Capacitor,
Energized and
Amplitude.
Skill Lines
Subclassing
Necromancer doesn't have Class Masteries that would benefit Werewolf, so it's better to subclass. You can keep either Bone Tyrant or Grave Lord. Bone Tyrant's
Last Gasp gives you 2,412 Max Health. Grave Lord's
Rapid Rot gives you about 2.1% more DPS. Take Bone Tyrant if you want the extra Health or Grave Lord if you want more DPS. Earthen Heart is subclassed in for
Landslide,
Blessing at the Peak and
Heart of Stone. Aedric Spear is subclassed in for
Balanced Warrior and
Burning Light.
| Front Bar | Back Bar |
|---|---|
| Slot 1: Feral PounceMorph of Pounce | |
| Slot 2: Hircine's RageMorph of Hircine's Bounty | |
| Slot 3: Ferocious RoarMorph of Roar | |
| Slot 4: Rip and TearMorph of Gnash | |
| Slot 5: BloodclawsMorph of Rending Claws | |
| Ultimate: Werewolf BerserkerMorph of Werewolf Transformation |
Priority List
This is just a list of priorities. Simply recast abilities when they run out and follow this list of priorities when there are multiple things to refresh.
Pre-buff
Execute
Stop refreshing DoTs when the boss is about to die. The timing is impossible to advise on because it depends on the boss's Max Health and your DPS.
Fully defensive setup that sacrifices damage.
| Front Bar | Back Bar |
|---|---|
| Slot 1: Feral PounceMorph of Pounce | |
| Slot 2: Hircine's FortitudeMorph of Hircine's Bounty | |
| Slot 3: Deafening RoarMorph of Roar | |
| Slot 4: Rip and TearMorph of Gnash | |
| Slot 5: BloodclawsMorph of Rending Claws | |
| Ultimate: Pack LeaderMorph of Werewolf Transformation |
Changes compared to the Base Setup
| Setup | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|
| Base Setup(Aedric Spear, Earthen Heart and Storm Calling) |
76.7k DPS
|
Baseline |
| Change to |
71.3k DPS
|
-7.0% |
| Change to |
69.3k DPS
|
-9.6% |
| Change to |
62.9k DPS
|
-18.0% |
| Full Tanky |
52.8k DPS
|
-31.2% |
Weapon passives are not listed because they do not apply while you are in Werewolf form.
Class + Subclass
Class + Subclass
Class
Class
Class + Subclass
Class + Subclass
Class + Subclass
World
Armor
Guild
Racial
Craft
Class - Earthen Heart
Heart of Stone - High Priority
Landslide - High Priority
Blessing at the Peak - High Priority
Mountain Giant - Not Needed
Class - Storm Calling
Capacitor - High Priority
Energized - High Priority
Amplitude - High Priority
Expert Mage - Not Needed
Class - Animal Companions
Bond with Nature - Not Needed
Savage Beast - Not Needed
Flourish - Not Needed
Advanced Species - Not Needed
Class - Green Balance
Accelerated Growth - Not Needed
Nature's Gift - Not needed
Emerald Moss - Not Needed
Maturation - High Priority
Class - Winter's Embrace
Glacial Presence - High Priority
Frozen Armor - Not Needed
Icy Aura - Not Needed
Piercing Cold - High Priority
Class - Assassination
Master Assassin - High Priority
Executioner - High Priority
Pressure Points - Not Needed
Hemorrhage - Not Needed
Class - Shadow
Refreshing Shadows - High Priority
Shadow Barrier - Not Needed
Dark Vigor - Not Needed
Dark Veil - Not Needed
Class - Siphoning
Catalyst - High Priority
Magicka Flood - Not Needed
Soul Siphoner - Not Needed
Transfer - Not Needed
Class - Aedric Spear
Piercing Spear - Not Needed
Spear Wall - Not Needed
Burning Light - High Priority
Balanced Warrior - High Priority
Class - Bone Tyrant
Death Gleaning - Not Needed
Disdain Harm - Not Needed
Health Avarice - Not Needed
Last Gasp - High Priority
Class - Grave Lord
Reusable Parts - Not Needed
Death Knell - Not Needed
Dismember - Not Needed
Rapid Rot - High Priority
Class - Herald of the Tome
Fated Fortune - Not Needed
Harnessed Quintessence - High Priority
Psychic Lesion - Not Needed
Splintered Secrets - Not Needed
World - Werewolf
Insatiable Hunger - Automatically unlocked
Master of the Chase - High Priority
Blood Rage - High Priority
Shadow of the Bloodmoon - Not Needed
Feral Cruelty - High Priority
Call of the Hunt - High Priority
Armor - Light Armor
Grace - Low Priority
Evocation - High Priority
Spell Warding - High Priority
Prodigy - High Priority
Concentration - High Priority
Armor - Medium Armor
Dexterity - High Priority
Wind Walker - High Priority
Improved Sneak - Not needed
Agility - High Priority
Athletics - High Priority
Armor - Heavy Armor
Resolve - Medium Priority
Constitution - Low Priority
Juggernaut - Medium Priority
Revitalize - Low Priority
Rapid Mending - Low Priority
Guild - Undaunted
Undaunted Command - High Priority
Undaunted Mettle - High Priority
Race - Your Race
Get all of your racials, no matter which race you are
Craft - Alchemy
Solvent Proficiency - Not needed
Keen Eye: Reagents - Not needed
Medicinal Use - High Priority
Chemistry - Not needed
Laboratory Use - Not needed
Snakeblood - Not needed
Overland (Base) is your starting point and works for most situations. Crafted (Beginner) is a beginner version using only craftable sets. Use Instanced in Arenas and Dungeons, where enemies have 18,200 armor.
Switching gear for trash packs isn't worth it unless you're using gear-swap addons
Default Overland setup. Enemies have 9,100 armor here
| Gear Slot | Set | Weight/Type | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Head |
Heavy | |||
Shoulders |
Medium | |||
Chest |
Medium | |||
Hands |
Medium | |||
Belt |
Light | |||
Legs |
Medium | |||
Boots |
Medium | |||
Necklace |
Jewelry | |||
Ring |
Jewelry | |||
Ring |
Jewelry | |||
Frontbar Main Hand |
Any 1-handed Weapon | |||
Frontbar Off Hand |
Any 1-handed Weapon |
Fallback Gear
If you don't have it, use in order
If you don't have it, use in order
Alternatives
This is the crafted gear setup you can start with
| Gear Slot | Set | Weight/Type | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Head |
Medium | |||
Shoulders |
Medium | |||
Chest |
Heavy | |||
Hands |
Medium | |||
Belt |
Light | |||
Legs |
Medium | |||
Boots |
Medium | |||
Necklace |
Jewelry | |||
Ring |
Jewelry | |||
Ring |
Jewelry | |||
Frontbar Main Hand |
Any 1-handed Weapon | |||
Frontbar Off Hand |
Any 1-handed Weapon |
The setup in the table uses only crafted gear, but if you already own parts of the Base Setup like
Ring of the Pale Order you can start using them immediately
This is a setup you should use in Instanced content (Arenas and Dungeons). Enemies in instanced content have 18,200 armor, while Overland enemies have only 9,100, so this setup will need much more penetration.
| Gear Slot | Set | Weight/Type | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Head |
Heavy | |||
Shoulders |
Medium | |||
Chest |
Medium | |||
Hands |
Medium | |||
Belt |
Light | |||
Legs |
Medium | |||
Boots |
Medium | |||
Necklace |
Jewelry | |||
Ring |
Jewelry | |||
Ring |
Jewelry | |||
Frontbar Main Hand |
Any 1-handed Weapon | |||
Frontbar Off Hand |
Any 1-handed Weapon |
Fallback Gear
If you don't have it, use in order
If you don't have it, use in order
Alternative (same bonus)
Changes compared to the Overland setup
Use the Penetration Calculator to fine-tune your penetration for different content. Overland enemies have 9,100 armor while Instanced enemies (Arenas and Dungeons) have 18,200.
If you are playing Warden, make these gear changes.
Alternative setups for different goals and content types
For More Damage
For More Survivability
Content-Specific Swaps
For solo you need both damage and survivability, so every race brings something to the table. I use Nord because in difficult solo content the armor racial is worth the DPS trade-off. If you want to use a different race, the table shows comparison between their DPS.
| Race | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Elf |
79.8k DPS
|
+4.1% |
| Orc |
79.0k DPS
|
+3.1% |
| Wood Elf |
78.4k DPS
|
+2.3% |
| High Elf |
78.4k DPS
|
+2.3% |
| Khajiit |
78.2k DPS
|
+2.0% |
| Redguard |
76.8k DPS
|
+0.2% |
| Imperial |
76.8k DPS
|
+0.2% |
| Nord |
76.7k DPS
|
Baseline |
| Argonian |
76.2k DPS
|
-0.6% |
| Breton |
75.5k DPS
|
-1.5% |
For most content you should put all 64 points into Stamina. For difficult content you should devote as many attribute points as necessary to Health - for some content you'll be able to get away with 32 Health 32 Stamina, for the extremely difficult stuff you'll need 64 Health.
| Attributes | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|
| 64 Stamina |
76.7k DPS
|
Baseline |
| 32 Health / 32 Stamina |
74.2k DPS
|
-3.3% |
| 64 Health |
71.7k DPS
|
-6.4% |
The damage loss from changing attributes is minimal, and you gain up to 7808 Health, so change attributes whenever you struggle with some harder enemy.
| Food | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|
| |
76.7k DPS
|
Baseline |
| |
76.4k DPS
|
-0.4% |
| |
73.3k DPS
|
-4.4% |
Werewolf abilities are cheap and free during
Rampage, so you don't need any recovery from your potions.
Use
Armor Potions as your default.
All parses are recorded on the 6 million Target Dummy
Yes, for Infinite Archive Arcs 1-4. Those arcs are still close enough to normal solo PvE content that a standard solo build works well, and you usually will not have enough important Visions yet to build around them. Some effects become more valuable in Infinite Archive, especially enemy Weapon and Spell Damage reductions, but you do not need a dedicated deep-IA build for Arcs 1-4.
For deep Infinite Archive runs, such as Arc 10+, this is not the right type of build. Deep IA setups have to change heavily around the Visions earned during that run, so they are usually built very differently from standard solo builds.
Yes, you can use this build at any Challenge Difficulty, including Vestige. Mobs hit a lot harder and you do less damage on the higher tiers, so fights take longer, but the build itself doesn't change.
Warden is the best overall. Nightblade only matches its damage while flanking, and Warden also has more Max Health and more block mitigation. The other classes subclass and are a bit behind.
No. Use the base skills and the Instanced gear setup for both Maelstrom Arena and Vateshran Hollows.