Easy Werewolf Tank Build For ESO - Hack the Minotaur (2024)

Category: Best Werewolf Builds, Tank Builds

This powerful Werewolf Tank build for the Elder Scrolls Online focuses on debuffing enemies and increasing your group’s damage output. This one bar Tank build excels at staying alive and providing lots of group utility, while being accessible, easy and fun to play. Most importantly, we’ve tested it and it can easily face the most difficult endgame content and is optimized for Veteran Dungeon Hard-Modes, and can find a place in Trials too!

While Werewolf Tanking remains a niche playstyle, the Gold Road Chapter introduces several changes that enable us to complete content and remain somewhat competitive. Most notably, slotting Deafening Roar allows our Heavy Attacks to taunt enemies.

Remember that you can always use other sets, skills and CP slottables. Ultimately, optimization should always be guided by keeping the rest of your group as well as the encounters in mind.

Unleash your primal fury on the battlefield, lets dive right in!

Primary Sets

Since weapon skill line passives are deactivated while transformed, we opt for a One Hand And Shield: this allows us to get the additional Armor and glyph from the shield while also having a one-handed weapon with its own trait and enchant.

Our first setup is great for all encounters, especially boss fights. Starting with our first 5 piece set on this build, Perfected Lucent Echoes is a heavy armor set found in the new Trial, Lucent Citadel. While above 50% Health, we increase our group’s Critical Damage by 15%, which is great since Werewolves don’t have access to Aggressive Horn and its Major Force buff. While below 50% Health, we receive 20% less damage, making us extremely survivable. Remember that you can also get the non-Perfected version of this set by running the Trial in Normal —1206 Health is all you will miss out on. If you plan on playing a Tank in ESO, this is a set that is really worth collecting.

Next, Turning Tide, found in Shipwright’s Regret, is another staple for Tanking. When you block, your next Bash creates a wave that applies Major Vulnerability, increasing the enemies’ damage taken by 10% for 10 seconds. This is one of the most powerful damage buffs in the game, which is why this set almost always finds itself on Tank builds.

Our Monster Set, Archdruid Devyric, can be acquired in Veteran Earthen Root Enclave. With a simple Heavy Attack (doesn’t need to be fully-charged), this set applies Major Vulnerability, increasing enemies’ damage taken by 10% for 7 seconds. Combining Turning Tide with Archdruid Devyric ensures 100% uptime on Major Vulnerability, significantly speeding up encounters by boosting damage output immensely. This setup is great in Trials, Dungeons and Arenas because you can maintain the debuff throughout the fight, without having to rely on Necromancers casting their Ultimate. Plus, the glowing bear effect from this set really fits the aesthetic of a feral predator.

Archdruid Devyric

LVL 50 – CP 160

SET BONUS
(1 item)Adds1487 Offensive Penetration
(2 items)When you deal damage with a Heavy Attack, after 1.2 seconds deal650 Shock damageto up to 6 enemies within a 7 by 5 meter line on your target, applyingMajor Vulnerabilityto them for 7 seconds, increasing the damage enemies take by 10%. This effect can occur once every 15 seconds and scales off the higher of your Weapon or Spell Damage.

Alternative Sets

Our second build, which can be fully acquired from Dungeons, excels in Area-Of-Effect (AOE) encounters. We even recommend slotting this build when facing trash packs in Dungeons and Trials, then swapping back to the first build for single-target bosses.

Our first 5 piece set on this build is Crimson Oath’s Rive, a heavy armor set from The Dread Cellar, that provides a substantial armor reduction to surrounding enemies with an easy proc condition. This greatly increases damage output by helping DPS players reach the 18,200 Penetration cap, especially those in medium armor or in Dungeons where less buffs are present. Crimson Oath’s Rive is definitely a must-collect for Tanking in ESO, especially if you plan to Off-Tank Veteran Hard-Mode Trials.

Next, Rush of Agony is a medium armor set that can also be found in The Dread Cellar, making farming the gear for this build extremely straightforward. This set is the only way for Werewolves to fulfill their chaining duties: when we use our Brutal Pounce ability, the set pulls enemies in. Since the pull doesn’t apply Crowd Control Immunity, we can then fear and debuff them with Deafening Roar. Enemies stacked this way will melt in our DPS’ AOE damage. If you find yourself in fights with no ads to pull, you can simply have Turning Tide instead.

Finally, we’re equipping the Esoteric Environment Greaves mythic on our legs. This item greatly enhances our tankiness while we’re above 50% Stamina. With Werewolf Heavy Attacks restoring 50% more Stamina and less blocking from soaking in more damage, sustaining is effortless. For our last slot, we use 1 piece of Magma Incarnate for its bonuses to Magicka and Stamina Recovery.

If you don’t have access to this mythic, consider slotting a Monster Set instead. Some easy-to-obtain options include Engine Guardian for selfish sustain, Sentinel of Rkugamz for group sustain and healing, or Lord Warden for group tankiness. All of these sets can be obtained from base-game Dungeons.

Magma Incarnate

LVL 50 – CP 160

SET BONUS
(1 item) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
(2 items) When you use an Ultimate ability, you gain Weapon Damage and Spell Damage equal to the amount of total Ultimate consumed, and Physical and Spell Penetration equal to 23 times the amount for 12 seconds.

Sentinel Of Rkugamz

LVL 50 – CP 160

SET BONUS
(1 item) Adds 4% Healing Done
(2 items) When you heal yourself or an ally you summon a Dwemer spider that heals for 1000 Health and restores 125 Magicka and Stamina to you and your allies within 5 meters every 1 second for 8 seconds. This effect can occur once every 15 seconds.

Lord Warden

LVL 50 – CP 160

SET BONUS
(1 item) Adds1487 Armor
(2 items) When you take damage, you have a 50% chance to summon a shadow orb for 10 seconds that increases the Physical and Spell Resistance of you and your group members within 8 meters by 3180. This effect can occur once every 10 seconds.

Engine Guardian

LVL 50 – CP 160

SET BONUS
(1 item) Adds 129 Health Recovery
(2 items) When you use an ability that costs resources, you have a 25% chance to summon a Dwemer automation to restore 560 Stamina or Magicka or 2055 Health to you every 0.5 seconds for 6 seconds. This effect can occur once every 10 seconds.

Primary Set Load Out

Alternate Set Load Out

Best Class Discussion

While you can technically run a Werewolf Tank on any class and the aim of the build is to spend as little time as possible in Human Form, certain classes have an advantage due to specific passives that persist while transformed.

Here are our top choices for a Werewolf Tank:

• Dragonknight gets 1650 Armor (equivalent to 3.5% damage reduction) and a 10% increase to the amount of damage you can block;
• Templar gets 1320 Armor (equivalent to 3% damage reduction) and a 5% cost reduction to all abilities, including Ultimates;
• and Sorcerer gets increased resource pools, a 6% ability cost reduction, a 15% ability cost reduction after blocking, a 10% increase to Magicka Recovery and a 15% Ultimate cost reduction to transform faster. The class is a great choice but, because you’re not getting an Armor passive, consider the Reinforced trait on your shield if you’re not hitting 33,000 Resistances.

The skills you slot while in Human Form will vary depending on your class. We recommend slotting a taunt like Pierce Armor to fulfill your role as a Tank, while the rest can focus on survivability or Ultimate generation —to facilitate transforming as quickly as possible. In most instances, you can transform at the start of a Dungeon and stay in Werewolf Form until the end.

For more details on which skills to slot as a Tank for your class while in Human Form, be sure to check out our Tank Builds.

Consumables, Race, Mundus, Attributes

Suggested Attributes

64 points into Health

or 0-10 points into Stamina and the rest into Health, so that your Stamina pool is slightly bigger than your Magicka pool —so that Stamina is your dominant resource for synergies, etc

Race

Nord reigns as the top Tank race in ESO, principally thanks to the Rugged passive, which facilitates reaching the 33,100 Resistance cap. The passive alone translates to 7% damage mitigation, crucial for challenging encounters. Additionally, Nords boast big Health and Stamina pools along with increased Ultimate-generation. Pick Nord if you care about performance and optimization.

Following closely is the Imperial race, distinguished by its impressive Health and Stamina pools and 6% reduction to ability costs, which also applies to Ultimates and core-abilities like bash, dodge, etc. This combination of durability and resource efficiency makes Imperials an excellent choice for Tanks.

Finally, Redguard and Breton are great options if you struggle with sustain issues. Redguards excel in Stamina sustain, while Bretons are good at conserving their Magicka.

Mundus

• The Atronach
• The Lady, if not at the 33,100 Resistance cap with Major and Minor Resolve active

Food/Drink Buff

• Orzorga’s Smoked Bear Haunch, best in slot but expensive
• Jewels of Misrule, a cheap alternative without missing out too much

Potions

Tri-Stat Potions or Heroism Potions

Tri-Stat Potions

Skills

Main Weapon: ONE HAND AND SHIELD– Click on a Skill Name to learn more

1. Brutal Pounce
2. Hircine’s Fortitude
3. Deafening Roar
4. Howl of Despair
5. Claws of Life
6. ULT: Pack Leader

Skills and Rotation

Buffs and Debuffs

Make sure to taunt bosses with your Heavy Attacks. Werewolf has a lot less skills to maintain, but keep in mind to watch out for mechanics as this will make you drop block.

Use Deafening Roar to set enemies Off Balance and to apply Major Breach and Minor Maim.

Keeping self buffs up is simple as a lot of Werewolf skills give passive bonuses for being slotted like Major Brutality and Sorcery, Major Protection, Major Resolve and 30% Movement Speed. You also provide Minor Courage to group members simply from slotting your Pack Leader Transformation Ultimate. This makes up for the lack of a Backup Bar and allows you to bring utility to the group while being quite survivable, as well as the fastest Tank on the battlefield.

With Howl of Despair, you create a synergy that you and your allies can activate, granting Empower as well as Minor Force. For that reason, Werewolf Tank is great to run with Heavy Attack DPS builds because you can provide Empower and Off Balance reliably.

If you’re taking damage, make sure to apply Claws of Life on as many enemies as you can in order to get as much Healing-Over-Time as possible. Use Hircine’s Fortitude for a burst heal and for boosting your Stamina and Magicka Recoveries. Make sure to use it sparingly as it has a steep Magicka cost.

Rotation

Main Bar: Brutal Pounce → Heavy Attack (taunt) → Deafening Roar → Howl of Despair → Claws of Life → Hircine’s Fortitude

Additional Notes

• Beware: casting your Ultimate while transformed will toggle the Werewolf Form off and change you back to your Human form. Since you can’t build Ultimate in Werewolf Form, you’ll need to wait a while to transform back.

Passive Skills

Class Passives

• All Class Passives

Werewolf Passives

• All Werewolf Passives

Weapon Passives

• Fortress
• Sword And Board
• Deadly Bash
• Deflect Bolts
• Battlefield Mobility

Armor Passives

• Resolve
• Constitution
• Juggernaut
• Revitalize
• Rapid Mending

Guild Passives

• Undaunted Mettle
• Undaunted Command

Racial

• All Racial Passives

Other

• Medicinal Use

GREEN

• 50Steed’s Blessing (Slot)
• 50Gilded Fingers

BLUE

• 10 Tireless Discipline
• 20 Quick Recovery
• 20 Preparation
• 50 Duelist’s Rebuff (Slot)

RED

• 50Boundless Vitality (Slot)
• 50Fortified (Slot)

– 600 Champion Points –

GREEN

• 50Steed’s Blessing (Slot)
• 50Gilded Fingers
• 10Fortune’s Favor
• 15Wanderer
• 40Steadfast Enchantment
• 30Rationer (Slot)

BLUE

• 10 Tireless Discipline
• 20 Quick Recovery
• 20 Preparation
• 50 Duelist’s Rebuff (Slot)
• 50 Enduring Resolve (Slot)
• 50 Unassailable (Slot)

RED

• 50Boundless Vitality (Slot)
• 50Fortified (Slot)
• 50 Rejuvenation (Slot)
• 10 Tireless Guardian
• 6 Nimble Protector
• 30 Bracing Anchor (Slot)

– 900 Champion Points –

GREEN

• 50Steed’s Blessing (Slot)
• 50Gilded Fingers
• 10Fortune’s Favor
• 15Wanderer
• 40Steadfast Enchantment
• 30Rationer (Slot)
• 50Breakfall
• 50Treasure Hunter (Slot)

BLUE

• 20 Tireless Discipline
• 20 Quick Recovery
• 20 Preparation
• 50 Duelist’s Rebuff (Slot)
• 50 Enduring Resolve (Slot)
• 50 Unassailable (Slot)
• 50 Ironclad (Slot) or Bulwark (Slot) if you are not at the Resistance cap
• 20 Eldritch Insight
• 20 Blessed

RED

• 50Boundless Vitality (Slot)
• 50Fortified (Slot)
• 50 Rejuvenation (Slot)
• 20 Tireless Guardian
• 6 Nimble Protector
• 50 Bracing Anchor (Slot)
• 30 Fortification
• 30 Tumbling
• 10 Defiance

– 1200 Champion Points –

GREEN

• 50Steed’s Blessing (Slot)
• 50Gilded Fingers
• 30Fortune’s Favor
• 15Wanderer
• 50Steadfast Enchantment
• 30Rationer (Slot)
• 50Breakfall
• 50Treasure Hunter (Slot)
• 75Liquid Efficiency (Slot)

BLUE

• 20 Tireless Discipline
• 20 Quick Recovery
• 20 Preparation
• 50 Duelist’s Rebuff (Slot)
• 50 Enduring Resolve (Slot)
• 50 Unassailable (Slot)
• 50 Ironclad (Slot) or Bulwark (Slot) if you are not at the Resistance cap
• 20 Eldritch Insight
• 20 Blessed
• 20 Piercing
• 40 Flawless Ritual
• 40 Battle Mastery

RED

• 50Boundless Vitality (Slot)
• 50Fortified (Slot)
• 50 Rejuvenation (Slot)
• 20 Tireless Guardian
• 6 Nimble Protector
• 50 Bracing Anchor (Slot)
• 30 Fortification
• 30 Tumbling
• 20 Defiance
• 50 Mystic Tenacity
• 20 Hero’s Vigor
• 20 Sprinter

How To Create Powerful ESO Builds

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