All I know for sure from UESP is that werewolves get an increase in health and stamina by 100 points while in beast form, and that beast form also has a base 1,900 carry weight, so that does not include whatever carry weight the player has before the transformation (you can imagine how useful that is).

But I know nothing beyond that. What's the base damage for the claws? Does this damage ever increase? Is this or any other aspect skill-related? Can beast form be affected by currently active effects, like enchantments or potions? Are the power attack modifiers the same? How much stamina do we lose for power attacks (that is, how much do the claws "weigh")?

Edited original post.

I believe the claw damage levels with you , at 40+ you do 80 damage per claw iirc. You are also unarmored so the mage armor perk works.

I've heard the one hand skill does affect damage, but also that it doesn't. I'd like to know also.

Spell effects carry over, but I don't think racial bonuses do.

I'll tell you I die so fast on werewolf I can bet the armor is 0

From UESP:


Can't find any other stats though.

IIRC you do increase in one handed skill while attacking also.

I've got the big ol' hardcover official game guide. According to that, this is the breakdown for werewolf damage per level:

Base damage is 20.
From level 11-15, damage gets a +5 boost.
16-20 it gets a +15 (I assume this is directly added to the base, for a total of 35 rather than 40, but I could be wrong)
21-25 it gets +25
26-30.....+30
31-35.....+35
36-40.....+40
41-45.....+50
Then it says, "Level 45 and over" gets +60. That's a little confusing, since the tier just above says 41-45.

The progression is a little strange, as you can see.

I wish I could answer the questions about armor and One-handed skill. I haven't seen anyone with any proof that One-handed skill affects or is increased by the werewolf claw attacks. My guess is that it's independent of any skills, like fighting unarmed.

I just got to level 10 myself and I can say that the beast form seems quite viable so far, but needs to be used carefully. The damage output doesn't look great, but stats aren't everything - the spring-forward swipe attack will send foes flying, usually giving you enough time to claw their health down significantly. If you can't knock them back, you need the room to run away and give it another shot.

That means a successful beast form run will take place outdoors, where you can avoid becoming surrounded or stuck. It's downright foolish to change while inside, as you can't open doors - usually. My last transformation, I *was* actually able to open a door. I was fighting some bad guys who were pegging me from atop a tower. There was a door at the base (not into a new load zone - the tower was in the same cell as the exterior), and I couldn't get to them because I couldn't interact with anything.

But at some point, I was surprisingly able to press "E" and open the door. I don't know if it was because I fed on my first victim, and the game thought I had timed out of beast form?

Regardless, speed and maneuverability are your friends. You may be big, but you can't tank. If you start taking arrows, you need to start killing and feeding, howling, or running away.


Edit: Argh, is there a "Spoiler" thing somewhere I'm just not seeing? Can't seem to wrap my text in Spoiler tags...

Thanks for the information, folks. I'm still in need of info regarding the powers werewolves can use.

It think the totem fear power is 25, the normal one is weaker. The brotherhood totem is the best (IMO) as it keeps the enemies of your back.

According to UESP, the default fear is 25 and the totem fear is stronger, but it does not say how much stronger.