Skyrim: How To Get Out of Beast (Werewolf) Form? (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch)

The Elder Scrolls games have a long history of implementing Lycantrophy in their gameplay. Lycanthropy was mostly a disease you could contract while fighting numerous “were” creatures scattered around the continent of Tamriel. The mechanic that allowed for a player to be transformed into a werewolf was implemented way back in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. The mechanic was so popular that it got implemented in Morrowind as well as a part of a Bloodmoon expansion pack. After skipping Oblivion, the mechanic resurfaced again in Skyrim and it had a lot of pros and cons when it comes to its functionalities, and also a lot of questions. One of the most common questions relating to “beast form” in Skyrim is how do you get out of it?

What is the beast form in Skyrim? 

The beast form in Skyrim allows you to become a werewolf. It’s a mechanic that introduced lycanthropy to players and allows them to play as a werewolf for a short duration of time. The Beast Form Greater power is obtained during the Companions questline. The Ring of Hircine artifact offers alternative means of transformation and is not tied to the Companions questline at all. 

Beast Form greater power works in two ways. Passive and active. Actively, it allows for a werewolf transformation once a day for 150 seconds (if you feed on humanoids or animals, your transformation is prolonged for 30 seconds per corpse). Passively Beast Form adds a Beast Blood constant effect that gives you 100% resistance to all diseases but prevents you from gaining resting bonuses. If you have Dawnguard installed you will also have access to a special werewolf perk tree that enhances your werewolf abilities even further. 

How do you activate beast form in Skyrim?

To turn into a beast form in Skyrim, you will have to complete the Companions quest titled “The Silver Hand,” during which you will follow the rest of the companions down under the Underforge, where you should drink from the blood fountain and acquire “Beast Form” greater power. Activating Beast Form greater power turns you into a werewolf. You can do this only once a day; the only exception to this is if you have a Ring of Hircine. 

While in a beast form, you will not have access to your equipment, weapons, shouts, and magic. The beast form automatically cures you of all your acquired diseases, which makes being a werewolf and vampire at the same time impossible. You use your teeth and claws in combat, and due to your monstrous new appearance, most of the NPCs, with a few rare exceptions, will run away from you or become outright hostile. Racial abilities do not carry over into beast form as well.

Is there a way to get out of beast form in Skyrim?

The only way to get out of beast form in Skyrim is to wait it out. Beast form lasts for 150 seconds, and each feeding prolongs it for another 30 seconds. In the vanilla game, you can feed only on humanoid corpses, with Dawnguard if you have the Savage Feeding perk you can feed on almost all corpses. 

If you do not wish to play in werewolf form, you can always wait it out by pressing “T” on PC, the back button (Xbox), the select button (PS3), the touchpad (PS4), and “-” button on Switch. Your appearance, as well as your equipment, will be restored as soon as the waiting screen is removed. 1 hour in the game is equivalent to 180 seconds, so you need to wait for one hour to remove the Werewolf form. 

How do you remove the beast form ability in Skyrim?

You can cure yourself of lycanthropy during the quest “Glory of the Dead,” which is also a part of the Companions questline. To cure yourself of Lycanthropy and effectively remove the ability as well, you will need two Glenmoril Witch’s heads, one for Kodlak and one for yourself, so don’t forget to grab an extra head. 

If you’ve decided not to cure yourself during the quest “Glory of the Dead,” you can do it at any point in time as long as you have Glenmoril Witch’s head with you. If you’re lacking the heads, you can wait for the quest “Purity,” in which either Vilkas or Farkas will ask you to help them cure their lycanthropy. Once again, you will need 2 heads, one for yourself and the other for either Farkas or Vilkas. 

The other way to cure yourself of lycanthropy is to become a vampire during the Awakening quest, where Lord Harkon offers you to become Vampire Lord. If you wish to cure yourself of lycanthropy but Lord Harkon is already dead, you can also ask Serana to make you a vampire Lord, which will remove the ability as well. 

It’s important to note that if you cure yourself of lycanthropy and you wish to become a werewolf again, you will have to talk to Aella the Huntress (Dawnguard needs to be installed). She can turn you into a werewolf again and restore all your perks.

And that’s it, being a werewolf in Skyrim comes with its own unique challenges, and not everybody appreciates the advantages that come with it! Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!