No, you cannot be a vampire and a werewolf at the same time in Skyrim. Each condition cures the other: taking the werewolf blood removes vampirism, and accepting a Vampire Lord’s gift removes lycanthropy, so you always end up as one or the other.
You can switch between them, though. Below we explain exactly how the two curses cancel out, how to go from werewolf to vampire and back, what you lose each time, and the one-time limit that decides which order to do things in.
Which Versions This Covers
This guide covers The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition and Anniversary Edition on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. The rule is the same on every platform. Lycanthropy comes from the base-game Companions questline, while the Vampire Lord form, the werewolf perk tree and the option to get your beast blood back all come from the Dawnguard add-on, which both editions include. No Anniversary Edition Creation Club content changes how the two conditions interact.
Why You Cannot Be Both
Per the community wiki, three rules keep the curses apart:
- Werewolves are immune to Sanguinare Vampiris. The Beast Blood effect grants 100 percent resistance to disease, and vampirism starts as a disease. As long as you carry the beast blood, a vampire’s drain spell cannot infect you.
- Turning into a werewolf cures vampirism. The first time you transform with Beast Form, you are cured of every disease, including vampirism at any stage. The Companions blood ritual transforms you on the spot, so drinking it ends your vampirism immediately.
- A Vampire Lord’s gift cures lycanthropy. Accepting Lord Harkon’s gift during the Dawnguard quest Bloodline, or letting Serana turn you, removes the beast blood.
The result is that one condition always replaces the other. Nothing in the unmodded game lets you keep Beast Form and vampirism together.
How to Switch From Werewolf to Vampire
You have two ways to do this, and one is far quicker.
- Take the Vampire Lord gift (Dawnguard). Lord Harkon offers it at Castle Volkihar during Bloodline, and Serana can offer it after the quest Chasing Echoes or once the Dawnguard questline is finished, per the community wiki. It turns you instantly and cures your lycanthropy in the same moment. Accepting Harkon’s version permanently ties you to the Volkihar vampires; Serana’s version is the only way to be a Vampire Lord on the Dawnguard side.
- Cure lycanthropy first, then catch the disease. Finish the Companions questline, use a Glenmoril Witch head at Ysgramor’s Tomb, then let a vampire infect you and wait out the three days. Our guides to curing lycanthropy in Skyrim and becoming a vampire in Skyrim cover each half.
One warning if you sided with the Dawnguard. Per the community wiki, its members refuse to deal with you while you are a Vampire Lord and tell you to get cured, and during Kindred Judgment Isran will not speak to you until you are. Finish their questline before you turn, or be ready to cure yourself again.
How to Switch From Vampire to Werewolf
This direction depends on whether you have ever been a werewolf.
- First time: the Companions ritual. Join the Companions in Whiterun and follow the questline to The Silver Hand, where you drink Aela’s blood at the Underforge. That cures your vampirism as you transform. Our guide to becoming a werewolf in Skyrim walks through every step.
- Returning werewolves: ask Aela (Dawnguard). If you were a werewolf before you became a vampire, the community wiki says you can ask Aela the Huntress to restore your lycanthropy. You keep all the werewolf perks you had earned and the same Totem of Hircine you had active.
The catch is that Aela restores the blood only once. If you cure lycanthropy a second time, her dialogue option is gone for good. Serana, by contrast, can turn you into a Vampire Lord whenever you ask after Kindred Judgment, and the community wiki notes you keep your Vampire Lord perks when she restores it. That makes the werewolf side the scarce one, so treat your last swap back to werewolf as a final decision.
If you just want to be human again, our guide to curing vampirism in Skyrim covers Falion’s ritual in Morthal.
What You Lose Each Time You Switch
Every swap costs you something, so it pays to finish the content tied to each condition before moving on.
- Leaving the werewolf behind: Per the community wiki, once you are cured you cannot complete the Totems of Hircine quests if you had not already, and you lose access to the Dragonborn quest at Frostmoon Crag on Solstheim, whose werewolf pack only deals with fellow werewolves.
- Leaving the vampire behind: You lose your vampire powers and the Vampire Lord form. If you joined the Volkihar clan, the community wiki notes its vampires will not talk to you until your vampirism is restored, so finish their questline first.
- Both ways: Your Beast Form and Vampire Lord power are both greater or lesser powers you use with the Shout/Power button (Z on PC, RB on Xbox, R1 on PlayStation, R on Switch), so after any swap, check the Powers section of your Magic menu and equip the right one.
The best order for most players is to finish the Companions questline and the Totems of Hircine as a werewolf, then take the Vampire Lord gift, and switch back through Aela only if you are sure it is the last time. Make a hard save before each swap; our guide to saving your game in Skyrim covers every platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you be a Vampire Lord and a werewolf at the same time? No. The Vampire Lord gift is what cures lycanthropy, so accepting it always removes your Beast Form.
Can a werewolf catch vampirism from a vampire? No. Lycanthropy gives you full disease resistance, so Sanguinare Vampiris never takes hold while you carry the beast blood.
How many times can Aela restore lycanthropy? Once. On PC, the community wiki notes the console command resetquest DLC1RegiftingLycanthropy brings the offer back; consoles have no equivalent.
Is there a glitch that makes you both? The community wiki records timing bugs that produce a partial hybrid, but they are bugs, not features, and its own notes on them mention visual problems that can force a reload. We do not recommend them on a save you care about.
Where can we find more Skyrim guides? Our Elder Scrolls guides hub lists every Skyrim walkthrough we have published.