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 youhow to unlock all dragon shouts in Skyrim.

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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?”

Image via Map Genie

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 LocationsEffectAnimal AllegianceAngarvunde
Ancient’s Ascent
Ysgramor’s TombCalls nearby animals to aid the DragonbornAura WhisperNorthwind Summit
Valthume
VolunruudDetects the presence of Animunculi, Undead, and DaedraBattle FuryVahlok’s TombEnchants nearby allies’ weaponsBecome EtherealIronbind Barrow
Lost Valley Redoubt
UstengravDragonborn becomes immune to all damageBend WillSaering’s Watch
Apocrypha
Skaal VillageControls the will of animals, people, and dragonsCall DragonSky Haven Temple, or
High HrothgarSummons Odahviing dragonCall of ValorSovngardeSummons one of the Hall of Valor heroesClear SkiesHigh HrothgarClears up all weather effectsCycloneBenkongerike
Kolbjorn Barrow
White Ridge SanctumSummons cyclone weather effectDisarmEldersblood Peak
Silverdrift Lair
Snow Veil SanctumDisarms all enemies up to Level 30DismayDead Crone Rock
Lost Tongue Overlook
Shalidor’s MazeMakes enemies fleeDragon AspectApocrypha
Bloodskal Barrow
Temple of MiraakDragonborn obtains the power of a dragonDragonrendThroat of the WorldForces a dragon to landDrain VitalityArcwind Point
Dimhollow Crypt
Forgotten ValeDeals five points of damage a second to stamina, magicka, and healthElemental FuryDragontooth Crater
Shriekwind Bastion
Statue to MeridiaAdds wind speed to a melee weaponFire BreathDustman’s Cairn
Sunderstone Gorge
Throat of the WorldUnleashes a fire boltFrost BreathBonestrewn Crest
Folgunthur
Skyborn AltarUnleashes a force of frostIce FormFrostmere Crypt
Mount Anthor
SaarthalUnleashes a freezing forceKyne’s PeaceRagnvald
Rannveig’s Fast
Shroud Hearth BarrowCalms wild animalsMarked for DeathAutumnwatch Tower
Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary
Forsaken CaveMakes enemies lose armor and healthSoul TearDurnehviirRips enemy’s soul out, dealing lots of damageSlow TimeHag’s End
Korvanjund
LabyrinthianSlows time downStorm CallForelhost
High Gate Ruins
SkuldafnSummons heavy rainfall and a thunderstormSummon DurnehviirDurnehviirSummons Durnehviir undead dragonThrow VoiceShearpointDistracts enemiesUnrelenting ForceBleak Falls Barrow
High HrothgarStaggers enemiesWhirlwind SprintDead Men’s Respite
High Hrothgar
VolskyggeDragonborn dashes forward

How to Use Dragon Shouts

Once a dragon shout has been discovered, follow these steps to activate it:

  1. Open the game’s main menu
  2. Go to “Magic” menu
  3. Select “Dragon Shouts” sub-menu
  4. Select the unlocked dragon shout
  5. 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.

  1. Unrelenting Force
  2. Call Dragon 
  3. Summon Durnehviir
  4. Ice Form 
  5. Dragon Aspect 
  6. Slow Time
  7. Become Ethereal 
  8. Cyclone 
  9. Whirlwind Sprint 
  10. Fire Breath 
  11. Frost Breath 
  12. Throw Voice 
  13. Storm Call 
  14. Dragonrend
  15. Disarm
  16. Dismay 
  17. Drain Vitality 
  18. Call of Valor 
  19. Bend Will 
  20. Aura Whisper 
  21. Animal Allegiance 
  22. Soul Tear
  23. Battle Fury 
  24. Clear Skies 
  25. Elemental Fury 
  26. Kyne’s Peace
  27. Marked for Death 

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.

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