What are Werebeasts in Dwarf Fortress? Answered

In Dwarf Fortress, a whole host of calamities can strike your fortress in one way or another. From diseases, curses, enemy raids, divine wrath, and cave monsters, to name a few, there is a new kind of danger lurking around every corner, preying on your dwarves. One of the most dreaded ones is the ambush from a werebeast. This event can send your whole game into a downward spiral if you don’t know how to handle it (and often even if you do). But what exactly are werebeasts in Dwarf Fortress, and what can you do about them? Read on to find out.

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What are werebeasts in Dwarf Fortress?

Werebeasts are hybrids of an original sapient species and animal that turn into berserk animalistic forms during the full moon, which is when they attack anything in sight and try to spread their curse.

Unlike most threats to your base, werebeasts are not revealed until someone spots them because they have an Ambush rating of Legendary. That makes them particularly dangerous if your fortress is not prepared to handle them because all it takes is a single bite to spread their curse, which can then run rampant until you have no dwarves left.

Werebeasts in Dwarf Fortress come in all shapes and sizes (though they are almost always larger than standard dwarves). Some of the possible werebeast variants include:

• Werechameleon (Reptile)
• Weregecko (Reptile)
• Weregilamonster (Reptile)
• Wereiguana (Reptile)
• Werelizard (Reptile)
• Weremonitor (Reptile)
• Wereskink (Reptile)
• Weretortoise (Reptile)
• Wereturtle (Reptile)

• Wereanteater (Mammal)
• Wereantelope (Mammal)
• Wereape (Mammal)
• Werearmadillo (Mammal)
• Werebadger (Mammal)
• Werebear (Mammal)
• Werebeaver (Mammal)
• Werebison (Mammal)
• Werebuffalo (Mammal)
• Werebull (Mammal)
• Werecamel (Mammal)
• Werecapybara (Mammal)
• Werecat (Mammal)
• Werecavy (Mammal)
• Werechinchilla (Mammal)
• Werecivet (Mammal)
• Werecoati (Mammal)
• Werecoyote (Mammal)
• Weredeer (Mammal)
• Weredonkey (Mammal)
• Wereelephant (Mammal)
• Wereelk (Mammal)
• Werefox (Mammal)
• Weregiraffe (Mammal)
• Weregoat (Mammal)
• Weregopher (Mammal)
• Werehare (Mammal)
• Werehedgehog (Mammal)
• Werehorse (Mammal)
• Werehyena (Mammal)
• Werejackal (Mammal)
• Werekangaroo (Mammal)
• Werekoala (Mammal)
• Werelemur (Mammal)
• Werellama (Mammal)
• Wereloris (Mammal)
• Weremammoth (Mammal)
• Weremarmot (Mammal)
• Weremole (Mammal)
• Weremongoose (Mammal)
• Weremonkey (Mammal)
• Weremoose (Mammal)
• Weremouse (Mammal)
• Wereopossum (Mammal)
• Werepanda (Mammal)
• Werepangolin (Mammal)
• Werepanther (Mammal)
• Werepig (Mammal)
• Wereporcupine (Mammal)
• Wererabbit (Mammal)
• Wereraccoon (Mammal)
• Wererat (Mammal)
• Wererhinoceros (Mammal)
• Weresheep (Mammal)
• Wereshrew (Mammal)
• Wereskunk (Mammal)
• Weresloth (Mammal)
• Weresquirrel (Mammal)
• Weretapir (Mammal)
• Werewarthog (Mammal)
• Wereweasel (Mammal)
• Werewolf (Mammal)
• Werewombat (Mammal)

The animal part of the werebeast determines its size and shape, as well as its attack types. For example, some werebeasts retain the ability to use one or both of their hands (and thus use weapons), while others have to rely on venomous bites, hooves, horns, etc.

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How to deal with Werebeasts in Dwarf Fortress

If you play on default settings, you have a growing chance of being targeted by a werebeast after passing the population size of 20 dwarves. That’s when you want to set up an early warning system to detect a stealthed werebeast. For instance, you can chain dogs at a perimeter or inside the tunnels. Or use outside cattle farms to sacrifice and buy time.

After they’re discovered, you need to have a way of sealing your fort and getting your dwarves inside until the full moon passes (several in-game days). Normal doors won’t be an obstacle for a werebeast, so it’s best to use drawbridges with pulleys to seal your fort. After the full moon passes, the beast will revert back to a naked humanoid and flee the map.