The Lycan (short for Lycanthrope, or Werewolves) are humans that have been infected by the Mold via the introduction of the
Cadou parasite to their bodies. The transformation mutates them into animal-like humanoids that tend to roam in packs and operate within a fairly advanced hierarchical system. Their decrepit appearance is due to the
Cadou rejecting them as a host; an ideal host would have become a perfect vessel for
Mother Miranda's
Cadou experiments.
The Lycans themselves are able to distribute the Mold infection themselves by biting or otherwise implanting the Mold onto their prey. The infection takes place within the hour, as observed by
Ethan Winters in real-time; he was helping an injured man named
Leonardo Lupu when the infection began to change him - turning him from a helpless man into a dangerous monster. It's worth pointing out that he could still speak and remember people's names even whilst in this form but it's likely if he was to live longer, these memories would subside.
Interestingly, Lycans are still somewhat social and intelligent - they have been observed simply watching new potential threats and waiting for signals to attack. When it comes to food, they will eat more or less any living creature including humans, and when they have too much food they will 'store' it for later consumption by hanging them by rope. They can also use weapons, such as simple clubs, bows and ballistics such as guns. Lycans will also follow the strongest in their pack and see them as the leader or alpha - either a larger Lycan or the even bigger Uriaș.
Along with their weapons, they also use their teeth and claws to attack - most notably one such Lycan biting off a portion of
Ethan Winters' hand along with a few fingers (Ethan was not transformed into a Lycan due to his existing Mold infection). In terms of durability, they can take a lot of handgun bullets and will continue to advance on their prey despite being injured. On death, they will usually drop a small amount of money (Lei) as well as occasionally crafting components.
The Lycans also sometimes hunt with a more distinctively wolf-like creature named a
Vârcolac - these creatures are a combination of Lycan and wolf DNA which would make them a true werewolf. They were created by
Salvatore Moreau as an experiment into the
Cadou and the result was an extremely durable, dangerous and formidable monster. Although the Lycans themselves treated them more like attack dogs, they were easily a far stronger creature.