Skyrim Dragon Shouts Guide: Every Shout and Where to Find It

How shouts actually work

Shouts, called the Thu'um in-lore, are learned in three parts (words of power) found at word walls scattered across Skyrim, usually guarded by something worth fighting for the privilege. Learning a word only unlocks it, you still need a dragon soul, obtained by absorbing a slain dragon, to actually unlock the ability to use it.

The shouts everyone actually uses

• Unrelenting Force (Fus Ro Dah), a physical force blast that knocks enemies back, the game's signature shout and the first one you learn during the main quest.
• Whirlwind Sprint, a short-range dash, invaluable for traversal, dodging attacks, and skipping tricky platforming sections.
• Become Ethereal, grants temporary invincibility and the ability to pass through obstacles, a genuine emergency panic button in a bad fight.

Shouts tied to the main quest

Dragonrend is required to progress the main storyline, it's the only shout capable of forcing a dragon to land so it can be fought properly. You can't skip learning it if you want to finish the main quest.

Underused shouts worth grabbing anyway

• Slow Time, slows everything in the world except you, excellent for precision combat or dodging a dangerous attack.
• Marked for Death, applies a stacking armor and health debuff to a target, strong against tough single enemies.
• Call Dragon, summons a dragon ally to fight alongside you, a late-game reward shout most players never bother tracking down.

Where to actually find word walls

Word walls are concentrated in ancient Nordic ruins and ancient barrows, often at the end of a dungeon rather than at the entrance. If you're exploring with a stealth or archery build, our best race guide covers which races handle those dungeon crawls most efficiently.