Apart from Nords and the other meddling races whom Skyrim totally doesn't belong to, the frigid northland of Tamriel is also home to vampires and werewolves. One might even say that they're the most active in that region, especially now that The Elder Scrolls Online tapped into Skyrim once again and dumped a bunch of lycanthropes and bloodsuckers in the area.
As for players who might have been tempted to go back to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim after this, a hard bifurcation exists between choosing to be a vampire or a werewolf. You can only be either, not both at the same time. Hence, here's a guide so that Dragonborns who are sick of being measly humanoids can weigh which supernatural creature to transcend to.
Updated March 27, 2023, by Lucas Ellinas: More than a decade after Skyrim’s release, there are still likely quite a few players who haven’t tried one or both of the most unique playstyles the game has available: Vampires and werewolves. Both are classic fantasy archetypes, and Skyrim does a unique job of implementing them. Whether you are picking up Skyrim for the first time, or are returning to the game to create your hundredth character, this updated version of our list will help you decide which of these mythical monsters is more your style.
15 Why Vampire: Better Accessories
In line with vampires being more intellectually advanced creatures than werewolves, they crafted their own spellcasting paraphernalia to better suit their strengths. Vampires in Skyrim thus have a healthy selection of magical rings to choose from and almost all of them look great, granting unique effects like extra Health or Magicka, claw damage, or Magicak regeneration.
You can acquire all these rings in the Rings of Blood Magic quest. Werewolves do get their rings, but they lack variety since the only viable werewolf playstyle is to maul enemies to death.
14 Why Werewolf: More Chaotic Gameplay
Vampires get more control over their powers, but werewolves offer more fun to be had with their lust for carnage. Unlike in Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, you don't reluctantly turn into a werewolf at a fixed time. Instead, you can turn once a day and there's a short duration (two minutes and 30 seconds).
That sounds rather limited, but you can prolong the werewolf duration by killing and feeding on your victims. This adds an important layer of gameplay where you must always keep killing in order to maintain the form. Because once the werewolf duration is over, your character will revert back to their measly humanoid form wearing nothing but undies. By comparison, vampire gameplay is more conservative.
13 Why Vampire: They Used To Rule Parts Of Skyrim
Before the Nords came along and started shooing every other race out of Skyrim, the vampires (along with the beast races) partly ruled the frigid northlands of Tamriel. Lord Harkon, as well as Serana, are proof of this as their existence most likely precedes the Nords' dominion in Skyrim.
Even as the Nords took over most of Skyrim, the vampire clans and families still had plenty of power and would work in the shadows to keep a healthy supply of mortal races like poultry. In fact, they did have a plan to take over several of the major holds like Falkreath and Morthal before the Dragonborn ruined everything.
12 Why Werewolf: Better Build Synergy With Certain Races
Of course, the beauty of playing Skyrim again is that you don't have to adhere to standard builds. You can think up of overpowered combinations and a werewolf allows for an easy way to achieve this. Certain combat-oriented races such as the Orc has a racial bonus that makes them monsters in melee range. That would be Berserker Rage.
Pair that with the werewolf transformation as well as some of the other werewolf perks and melee rings and you can build a brutal character capable of taking on the whole garrison of Whiterun without cheats. No need for the cover of darkness or Magicka to boost damage. It's a pretty straightforward murder machine.
11 Why Vampire: They're More Sophisticated
Almost all literature involving vampires and werewolves portray the former as intelligent, calculating beings while the latter are primal and instinctive. That very well means vampires are more civilized and make for great conversationalists.
After all, they've spent a dizzying number of years being alive and conscious as well as introspective. This does have its negative results too such as vampires being snobs and elitists but it's all part of their charm. They do know how to dine finely... even if they're eating raw blood.
10 Why Werewolf: No Daylight Woes
Of course, the one weakness vampires have to balance out their immortality is the sunlight. In Skyrim, it's not that deadly for them-- they only get big stamina, health, and magicka penalties.
Still, it's quite significant especially if vampires are stuck in a daylight combat encounter outdoors. Werewolves simply do not have this problem and are free to roam around with reckless abandon.
9 Why Vampire: Easier Entry
To become a vampire in Skyrim, one only needs to be attacked by a random vampire roaming around Skyrim. With the Dawnguard expansion, this becomes easier given their increased population. Becoming a Vampire Lord is a bit trickier, as you need to advance the Dawnguard questline.
Meanwhile, becoming a werewolf is pretty much the Skyrim equivalent of a fraternity hazing. Contracting the lycanthropy disease, which is a prerequisite to becoming a werewolf, is more tedious as it requires players to put up with the Companions' shenanigans.
8 Why Werewolf: No Upkeep
Despite the higher bar of entry for becoming a werewolf, players can consider that as a one-time entrance fee. Whereas being a vampire requires a constant dosage of hemoglobin from the citizens of Skyrim or as vampires would like to call them: food.
Being a werewolf is less taxing on the necks of Nords and other races. It doesn't require anything to maintain though the benefits are not as present as a vampire's. For those that feel vampirism can be a chore, being a carefree werewolf is better.
7 Why Vampire: More Flexible Powers
Speaking of benefits, it would seem that vampires do have more access to them as one can simply tap into their main powers without the need to transform, unlike a werewolf. Vampires also have better spellcasting abilities, making them perfect for mages.
Moreover, their Illusion spells are more effective and you can easily play as a necromancer (or neck-romancers, ba-dum-tss). This makes combat with them more interesting compared to the usual mauling involved in being a werewolf.
6 Why Werewolf: Good Way To Commit Crimes
Being an indescriminate killer in Skyrim is always a welcome experience once-in-a-while, whenever an NPC looks the wrong way or mutters a loose comment. This can be a problem if one forgets to save their game. Thankfully, being a werewolf while doing that makes the mass murder inconsequential for you.
Unless the player transforms in front of witnesses, no one will be able to pin the werewolf killing spree to them. This can also be used strategically for whenever players want to do assassinations in an urban and well-guarded area and not have to worry about bounties.
5 Why Vampire: Perfect For Stealth
Even if werewolves are situationally immune to bounties, there are still better ways of assassinating a specific target. Stealth is certainly a more interesting option and it just so happens that vampires make for good expert stalkers.
They get all kinds of bonuses in sneaking and hiding in the dark as well as some form of night vision too. It's a great complement to being a member of the Thieves' Guild or being a hitman for the Dark Brotherhood.
4 Why Werewolf: The Companions Are Cool
Say what you will about the Companions' abrasiveness, but they're some of the coolest Nords in Whiterun once they let the players into their inner circle. Turns out they're not just boring rowdy mercenaries but also harbor some lethal secrets.
Some of them are also awesome and useful companions such as Vilkas or Farkas or even Aela the Huntress. They're a go-to for the standard barbarian-type character who prefers to talk using axes and swords because words are for mage nerds.
3 Why Vampire: Better Questline
Assuming players have Dawnguard, any lengthy story quest involving vampires is just better than what the companions put you through. Even if you join the Dawnguard faction, a certain vampire lord will still give you the option to become one of them, gving you a more powerful version of vampirism than you would contract during normal play.
Moreover, it involves Serana, an interesting addition to the companion pool of the game. The rewards for the main quest of the Dawnguard faction can also be a lot better and take the players to more interesting places in Skyrim.
2 Why Werewolf: Perfect For Melee
With all that's said and done, one of the most enjoyable ways to play Skyrim is by being a good old-fashioned Nord with too much ale in their brain and too many axes in their hands. Fighting in melee is still one of the least clunky ways to play Skyrim.
The werewolf greatly bolsters this playstyle by making melee more ferocious and making the players more invincible. The post-werewolf results can be unpredictable, of course, and might involve a nasty hangover and fur coming out of the players' ears.
1 Winner: It’s A Tie!
There you have it: the battle between these two archetypal monsters ends up as a tie. Which isn’t too much of a surprise; they offer completely different playstyles, and, thanks to the Dawnguard expansion, both have robust questlines.
The only real solution here is to try both. First, use our list to pick whichever playstyle and aesthetic appeals to you more. And once you’ve had your fill, you can go back and try the other on a different character. That’s the great thing about Skyrim; there’s always room for one more playthrough.