Skyrim: Do You Have To Become a Werewolf To Complete the Companion Questline?

Companions in Skyrim are what Fighter’s Guild was in previous installments of Elder Scrolls games. While the two factions are similar and have the same purpose within the world, companions descended from the Five Hundred Companions of Ysgramor uphold those values. Fighters Guild was over time completely replaced by Companions, and if you plan on joining a melee-combat-oriented faction, they are your best bet. Soon after joining you will discover that the leadership of Companions is composed entirely of werewolves, this fact is primarily what drives the story since Companions have little else to offer. Having said that, let’s see whether you can finish the Companions storyline without becoming a werewolf.

How did Companions become werewolves? 

When you first join the companions you will not be aware that some of them are werewolves, although hints will be dropped now and then. You officially figure out what’s going on when during the quest “Proving Honor” Farkas transforms into a werewolf in front of you. Farkas will explain that he is not the only one. After that, you will learn how Companions contracted lycanthropy in the first place. During the quest Blood’s Honor Kodlak Whiteman, Harbinger of Companions sends you to retrieve the heads of Glenmoril witch Cowen.

He explains that Companions became werewolves when one of the former Harbingers of Companion made a pact with the vile witches. Glenmoril witches offered untold powers, but they forgot to mention that whoever is infected by lycanthropy cannot hope to enter Sovngarde, as his or her soul is forever bound to Hircine, the Daedric lord of the Hunt who is responsible for the creation of lycanthropy.

Some of the Companions are okay with this, and some, old and true Nords like Kodlak Whitemane are desperately looking for a cure. He still hopes he will reach Sovngarde as a true Nord. 

Which Companions are werewolves? 

Only the Companions that belong to the “Circle”, a sub-faction of only the highest-ranking members within the Companions, are infected with Lycanthropy. Kodlak Whitemane, Aela the Huntress, Farks, Skjor, and Vilkas are werewolves. You will eventually have to join their ranks as well if you plan on advancing through the ranks and storyline. 

Do you need to become a werewolf to complete the Companions storyline? 

There’s no way to complete the Companions storyline without becoming a werewolf. During the quest The Silver Hand, you will be instructed to meet Skjor near the secret entrance that leads to the Underforge. Once there, you will be initiated into the aforementioned “Circle”. 

Aela the Huntress will be your Forebear as she is the one who cuts her arm and provides you with the blood. You will be instructed to drink from the fountain and there is no way to complete this quest without drinking. You cannot decline to become a werewolf. The best you can do is postpone this quest as long as possible, but postponing it indefinitely means that you will never complete the storyline and thus acquire related achievements. 

Do you need to stay werewolf after the storyline is over? 

You don’t have to stay werewolf after the Companions storyline is over. You can cure yourself of lycanthropy during the quest Glory of the Dead. After Kodlak Whitemane’s tragic passing, you will attempt to cure him of his lycanthropy by traveling to Ysgramor’s tomb.

If you plan on curing yourself as well as Kodlak it’s a good idea to kill all Glenmoril witches and loot all the heads since one head will not be enough to cure both of you. After you’ve cured Kodlak by burning the witch’s head and you have fought with Kodlak’s spirit wolf, before leaving Ysgramor’s tomb you can do the same for yourself. 

Simply activate the fire with the witch’s head in your inventory and your spirit wolf will appear which you will need to defeat. It’s as simple as that, but if you decide to postpone curing yourself during that quest, it gets more complicated. If you finish the Glory of the Dead without curing yourself the next you get the chance to cure lycanthropy will be with Farkas and Vilkas. 

Farkas and Vilkas will ask for your help when it comes to lycanthropy. If you have enough witch’s heads in your inventory you can go straight to Ysgramor’s tomb. If you don’t have enough heads (you need three to cure Vilkas, Farkas, and yourself) you will need to visit Glenmoril Witch Coven again.

Once you have enough heads in your inventory you can make your way to Ysgramor’s tomb where the process of curing yourself is the same as the first time when you cured Kodlak Whitemane. 

Can you become a werewolf again after curing yourself?

If you cure yourself of lycanthropy but decide to become a werewolf again you need to speak to Aela the Huntress. She will provide you with “the gift” again but only if you have Dawnguard installed, in the base game this option is not available.

You can only do this once, if you decide to cure yourself for the second time and then wish to become a werewolf again it won’t work the dialogue only appears once. 

You can bypass these issues by using DLC1RegiftingLycanthropy   after using it, the dialogue option should be available again. 

And that’s about it. As you can see you cannot finish the storyline without becoming a werewolf yourself. But this doesn’t have to necessarily worry you since you can cure yourself a short while later, and if you miss that opportunity, you can always return to Ysgramor’s tomb to cure yourself whenever you want. Given that you have the witch’s head in your inventory that is. 

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