What Are Werebats Really?

Vevvev · July 2021

Werebats, the enemies we fight in ESO that have so little written about them you can't help but scratch your head and ask, "What are they really?" We see a couple with the Gray Host, encounter plenty near vampire clans in Valenwood, but never do we actually talk to one or see an NPC turn into one. Are they really a strain of lycanthropy or a vampire transformation like the Blood Scion, Gargoyle, Vampire Lord, or Harrowstorm Reaper???

I always assumed they were vampires, but after some conversations with a few people, and looking at the wiki, some claim they are were creatures. However, none of the anti-werewolf and anti-vampire stuff actually works on them further confusing me on the matter. Feels like a question for the lore master to be honest as I can't find the answer.

tsaescishoeshiner · July 2021

As far as the anti-werewolf and anti-vampire skills, that could easily come down to a game mechanics shortcoming, and not bear on whether they're lycanthropes or vampires.

Lacking any evidence that they're transformed beings like werewolves, I would assume werebat is a misnaming by the locals, or just a name for a particularly strong or scary giant bat.

But ...

Zayzahad, a werebat, is summoned by Molag Bal at dolmens, and also shows up hanging from a ceiling in a certain Gray Host castle where everyone else is a member of the Gray Host—both suggesting that he possibly is a vampire, or at least a transformed tool of vampires. I could see vampires transforming giant bats into their minions, or transforming people into giant bats as servants, or transforming themselves for power. This would make werebats one-way transformed creatures, so not really similar to werewolves, and not the result of a disease. But whether they're as smart and human as werewolves, I'm not sure if we know.

Vevvev · July 2021

That's what lead to me asking the question, Zayzahad. They're referred to the game and in Legends as just mere beasts instead of lycanthropes yet we see named ones with the Gray Host and other vampire clans leading to the reasoning they're vampires. Their draining powers also leads credence to this, but then you got uesp labeling them as were creatures. So very confusing

Slimebrow · August 2021

Were creatures are more related towards Lycanthropy created by Hircine, the beasts also gain bloodlust once transformed and meaning they must kill once transformed. Werewolves are the most common kind I would imagine the rest to be less so or limited to by tribes, Werebats are only native to Valenwood from what I have read.

Were creatures are still mortal were as vampires are immortal so any were creature can still die from age this includes WereBats I would assume, according to the lore..... Vampires could probably use them as mindless beasts or pets but not really see them as one of their own.

Other than that they are not fully fleshed out and most likely never will be. I'm not the lore master so I can't say anymore than what they have written down.

Ratzkifal · August 2021

Flubbles wrote: »

Were creatures are more related towards Lycanthropy created by Hircine, the beasts also gain bloodlust once transformed and meaning they must kill once transformed. Werewolves are the most common kind I would imagine the rest to be less so or limited to by tribes, Werebats are only native to Valenwood from what I have read.

Were creatures are still mortal were as vampires are immortal so any were creature can still die from age this includes WereBats I would assume, according to the lore..... Vampires could probably use them as mindless beasts or pets but not really see them as one of their own.

Other than that they are not fully fleshed out and most likely never will be. I'm not the lore master so I can't say anymore than what they have written down.

I wish there was a proper distinction between "Giant bats" and "Werebats", because they share a model and giant bats can be encountered all over Tamriel while werebats are supposedly exclusive to Valenwood. Thankfully the only reason werebats are connected to vampires at all is the Gray Host having all sorts of lycanthropes who serve Molag Bal. Werebats only spawn at Dark Anchors in the encounter of King Styriche, so they are part of the Gray Host.

Personally I would like it if Werebats were actually that, people who transform into bat creatures, and not just generic bats with the added prefix "were-" as if it meant "rabid". A different model would certainly help with that.

PrinceShroob · August 2021

In Legends, the Moonlight Werebat card used to be part of the deprecated training mechanic, where it "evolved" from the Twilight Werebat card -- depicting a Bosmer man. This suggests that, as far as Legends is concerned, werebats are a were-creature. In fact, in the Moonlight Werebat card's full art, you can see the Bosmer man's discarded clothing.

Presumably the Moonlight Werebat card does not use the Beast Form mechanic because that was not introduced until the Skyrim expansion, and Moonlight Werebat is a core set card. Editing the card to use Beast Form would be difficult balance-wise, since Beast Form is restricted to Strength and Endurance cards while Moonlight Werebat is an Agility card.

Vevvev · August 2021

PrinceShroob wrote: »

In Legends, the Moonlight Werebat card used to be part of the deprecated training mechanic, where it "evolved" from the Twilight Werebat card -- depicting a Bosmer man. This suggests that, as far as Legends is concerned, werebats are a were-creature. In fact, in the Moonlight Werebat card's full art, you can see the Bosmer man's discarded clothing.

Presumably the Moonlight Werebat card does not use the Beast Form mechanic because that was not introduced until the Skyrim expansion, and Moonlight Werebat is a core set card. Editing the card to use Beast Form would be difficult balance-wise, since Beast Form is restricted to Strength and Endurance cards while Moonlight Werebat is an Agility card.

That's a good observation. Makes more sense now as I didn't stop to think about the card existing before the werewolf mechanic.

Saxhleel · September 2021

Think that they are just another type of Lycanthrope, like wereboars or werewolves. Maybe the anti-vampiric/lycanthropy things don't work due to developer oversight. If they aren't lycanthropes then it needs to be explained more.

Iccotak · October 2021

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

As far as the anti-werewolf and anti-vampire skills, that could easily come down to a game mechanics shortcoming, and not bear on whether they're lycanthropes or vampires.

Lacking any evidence that they're transformed beings like werewolves, I would assume werebat is a misnaming by the locals, or just a name for a particularly strong or scary giant bat.

But ...

Zayzahad, a werebat, is summoned by Molag Bal at dolmens, and also shows up hanging from a ceiling in a certain Gray Host castle where everyone else is a member of the Gray Host—both suggesting that he possibly is a vampire, or at least a transformed tool of vampires. I could see vampires transforming giant bats into their minions, or transforming people into giant bats as servants, or transforming themselves for power. This would make werebats one-way transformed creatures, so not really similar to werewolves, and not the result of a disease. But whether they're as smart and human as werewolves, I'm not sure if we know.

No a Werebat is not a Vampire - remember that Molag Bal captured many of the Grey Host including Werewolves.

So Zayzahad is a werebat that happened to be in that unfortunate capture.

Iccotak · October 2021

Ratzkifal wrote: »

Flubbles wrote: »

Were creatures are more related towards Lycanthropy created by Hircine, the beasts also gain bloodlust once transformed and meaning they must kill once transformed. Werewolves are the most common kind I would imagine the rest to be less so or limited to by tribes, Werebats are only native to Valenwood from what I have read.

Were creatures are still mortal were as vampires are immortal so any were creature can still die from age this includes WereBats I would assume, according to the lore..... Vampires could probably use them as mindless beasts or pets but not really see them as one of their own.

Other than that they are not fully fleshed out and most likely never will be. I'm not the lore master so I can't say anymore than what they have written down.

I wish there was a proper distinction between "Giant bats" and "Werebats", because they share a model and giant bats can be encountered all over Tamriel while werebats are supposedly exclusive to Valenwood. Thankfully the only reason werebats are connected to vampires at all is the Gray Host having all sorts of lycanthropes who serve Molag Bal. Werebats only spawn at Dark Anchors in the encounter of King Styriche, so they are part of the Gray Host.

Personally I would like it if Werebats were actually that, people who transform into bat creatures, and not just generic bats with the added prefix "were-" as if it meant "rabid". A different model would certainly help with that.

Just another one of those thing in the base game days where ZOS re-used way too many enemy assets