Dragon shouts are the defining abilities of the Dragonborn in Skyrim. There are 27 such calls that grant awesome powers that range from changing the weather to disarming your enemies. Here, I’ll tell you how to unlock all dragon shouts in Skyrim.
How to Unlock All Dragon Shouts in Skyrim
Before you can start unlocking dragon shouts in Skyrim, you need to complete “The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller” quest, given by Arngeir at High Hrothgar, Whiterun. Once this quest is done, you need to return to Arngier and ask him the following question during your dialogue:
“Have you located any Words of Power?”
He will then give you the locations to the Word Walls (indicated on the map above) that contain all the words of power for unlocking dragon shouts. But remember that the dragon Paarthurnax must not be killed before this conversation, or Arngier won’t give you the locations.
- Each dragon shout requires three words of power to be fully unlocked.
- Each word can be found on different Word Walls.
- Each word requires one dragon soul to be unlocked.
- You can acquire dragon souls by defeating dragons. Here are all of the dragon locations in Skyrim.
Every Skyrim Dragon Shout and Effect Listed
Here are the locations of all dragon shouts in Skyrim, as well as their effects. Personally, I find Bend Will great for something like survival mode because it can quickly turn animals to your side, as well as keep them from attacking you. Dismay also works wonders in survival, causing enemies to flee, as does Kyne’s Peace, which calms animals.
I also like to use Disarm, which causes all enemies up to Level 30 to drop their weapons. It comes in handy in multiple quests, side quests, and dungeons. Speaking of dungeon delving, Aura Whisper is useful because it detects undead; alternatively, it’s also a great way to find Daedra for Daedra Hearts.
| Dragon Shout | Word Wall Locations | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Allegiance | Angarvunde Ancient’s Ascent Ysgramor’s Tomb | Calls nearby animals to aid the Dragonborn |
| Aura Whisper | Northwind Summit Valthume Volunruud | Detects the presence of Animunculi, Undead, and Daedra |
| Battle Fury | Vahlok’s Tomb | Enchants nearby allies’ weapons |
| Become Ethereal | Ironbind Barrow Lost Valley Redoubt Ustengrav | Dragonborn becomes immune to all damage |
| Bend Will | Saering’s Watch Apocrypha Skaal Village | Controls the will of animals, people, and dragons |
| Call Dragon | Sky Haven Temple, or High Hrothgar | Summons Odahviing dragon |
| Call of Valor | Sovngarde | Summons one of the Hall of Valor heroes |
| Clear Skies | High Hrothgar | Clears up all weather effects |
| Cyclone | Benkongerike Kolbjorn Barrow White Ridge Sanctum | Summons cyclone weather effect |
| Disarm | Eldersblood Peak Silverdrift Lair Snow Veil Sanctum | Disarms all enemies up to Level 30 |
| Dismay | Dead Crone Rock Lost Tongue Overlook Shalidor’s Maze | Makes enemies flee |
| Dragon Aspect | Apocrypha Bloodskal Barrow Temple of Miraak | Dragonborn obtains the power of a dragon |
| Dragonrend | Throat of the World | Forces a dragon to land |
| Drain Vitality | Arcwind Point Dimhollow Crypt Forgotten Vale | Deals five points of damage a second to stamina, magicka, and health |
| Elemental Fury | Dragontooth Crater Shriekwind Bastion Statue to Meridia | Adds wind speed to a melee weapon |
| Fire Breath | Dustman’s Cairn Sunderstone Gorge Throat of the World | Unleashes a fire bolt |
| Frost Breath | Bonestrewn Crest Folgunthur Skyborn Altar | Unleashes a force of frost |
| Ice Form | Frostmere Crypt Mount Anthor Saarthal | Unleashes a freezing force |
| Kyne’s Peace | Ragnvald Rannveig’s Fast Shroud Hearth Barrow | Calms wild animals |
| Marked for Death | Autumnwatch Tower Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary Forsaken Cave | Makes enemies lose armor and health |
| Soul Tear | Durnehviir | Rips enemy’s soul out, dealing lots of damage |
| Slow Time | Hag’s End Korvanjund Labyrinthian | Slows time down |
| Storm Call | Forelhost High Gate Ruins Skuldafn | Summons heavy rainfall and a thunderstorm |
| Summon Durnehviir | Durnehviir | Summons Durnehviir undead dragon |
| Throw Voice | Shearpoint | Distracts enemies |
| Unrelenting Force | Bleak Falls Barrow High Hrothgar | Staggers enemies |
| Whirlwind Sprint | Dead Men’s Respite High Hrothgar Volskygge | Dragonborn dashes forward |
How to Use Dragon Shouts
Once a dragon shout has been discovered, follow these steps to activate it:
- Open the game’s main menu
- Go to “Magic” menu
- Select “Dragon Shouts” sub-menu
- Select the unlocked dragon shout
- Press “R” on PC, “Square” on PS3/4/5, “X” on Xbox 360/One/X/S, or “Y” on Switch
All Skyrim Dragon Shouts Ranked
Not every Dragon Shout was created equally. I use Unrelenting Force all the time since I spend the most time fighting enemies, but I almost never use Kyne’s Peace because I rarely play in survival mode and don’t need it in vanilla. In my opinion, this is how I’d rank all the Dragon Shouts in Skyrim.
- Unrelenting Force
- Call Dragon
- Summon Durnehviir
- Ice Form
- Dragon Aspect
- Slow Time
- Become Ethereal
- Cyclone
- Whirlwind Sprint
- Fire Breath
- Frost Breath
- Throw Voice
- Storm Call
- Dragonrend
- Disarm
- Dismay
- Drain Vitality
- Call of Valor
- Bend Will
- Aura Whisper
- Animal Allegiance
- Soul Tear
- Battle Fury
- Clear Skies
- Elemental Fury
- Kyne’s Peace
- Marked for DeathÂ
That’s how to unlock all dragon shouts in Skyrim, as well as how to use them and which ones we think are the best (though, that’s subjective and totally up to your playstyle). For more tips and tricks, such as how to get all followers, check out our other Skyrim tips and tricks articles.
