What's the benefit of being a werewolf?

[Zhe Toralf]

So I read up on the internet, and as I understood it, the skill bonuses you get are only active when you are transformed. But since you should avoid NPCs when transformed, and can't use items and♥♥♥♥♥♥ what benefit is there?

Vampires I understand. You get a big drawback but still have your benefits all the time.
The way I understand it, there is no point in playing as a werewolf.

[Reginald CZ]

I think that unlike Daggerfall here you don't get any advantage from being werewolf. Because at least based on UESP, you won't get any stats bonuses, aside of disease immunity, which you should have anyway during Blodmoon quests. And you have to transform into werewolf every night, which if anybody sees you during transformation, will ruin your game due to everybody becoming permanently hostile to you.

And also in end of both sides you get Hircine's ring, which will allow transform you into werewolf even when you aren't one.

So no, unless you do it for role-playing reasons or download some mods for werewolf, it doesn't give you any advantage.

EDIT: And about some mods, I think that modder "Sabregirl" made more variations of her werewolf mods, which you can check (and choose) here[www.sabregirl.com]. With not transforming on every night (depending on conditions of the variant) and sharing stats with your non-werewolf form included.

I also remember that there somewhere was mod "RK Werewolf", which should make hostile only NPCs in one area when they see you transform into/from werewolf and they should forget about you being werewolf later (though I didn´t test this mod yet due to still playing game in Vanderfell), but I can´t find it on internet now.

[AC Denton]

You get to be a very good boy.

[Killer Kitten]

It's fun watching the Dark Brotherhood flee from you.

[Zhe Toralf]

So it's pointless, got it.

[Taiwan Number One]

You become really good at basketball and carry your team to the finals.