There are few games with the staying power of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim — how many other games have players still exploring them ten years after their release? With how easy it is to mod giving it mind-blowing amounts of content, it's likely the game will be a mainstay for a long time.
One of the most iconic parts of Skyrim comes from the shouts the Dragonborn can perform. While some are incredibly powerful, others are practically useless. The strongest Dragonborn uses the best shouts in Skyrim to bring them serious success.
Updated on November 21, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman:While gauging versatility is important for deciding which shout is the best in Skyrim, it should still be mentioned that ones with specific applications can still be very powerful. Like any physical weapon or spell, a dragon shout's potential is only limited to the imagination of the Dragonborn. Whether one's goal is distraction or destruction, there are shouts that can be more useful than others. Personal preference matters when selecting a dragon shout to equip, however, there is definitely a broad consensus on which ones are the most worth the player's time.
12 Throw Voice
This hilarious shout often gets overlooked due to how comical it is. The Throw Voice shout, ZUL - MEY - GUT, will cause the player to simultaneously insult all enemies nearby to distract them. However, instead of being drawn to the Dragonborn's position, foes will run toward where one points their cursor when using Throw Voice. This essentially creates the best decoy in Skyrim on command.
Players will get to call hostile beings things like "cheese brain", "skeever butt", "melon nose", and more--even the classic yet simple insult of calling the enemy "ugly". As such, Throw Voice can be used to taunt foes for fun as well as to lure them into traps in addition to the usual stealth applications. It is worth noting that this shout only has a cooldown of 5 seconds, meaning that the Dragonborn can potentially spam it for interesting results.
Words Of Power Locations
- All words of power can be obtained at once at the Shearpoint Word Wall
11 Stormcall
Stormcall is a shout that lets the Dragonborn summon a powerful storm full of heavy rain and lightning. The latter will actually strike beings in the area for huge damage, however, these bolts of electricity can hit friend and foe alike. Due to this, despite its immense destructive potential, it should be used in places where there are civilians and allies.
STRUN - BAH - QO, this shout also has a huge cooldown when fully upgraded--600 seconds, and cannot be used indoors, further limiting its usage. However, if the player is traveling solo in the woodlands of northern Tamriel and is surrounded by adversaries, there is no better shout for such a situation than Stormcall.
Words Of Power Locations
- Forelhost
- High Gate Ruins
- Skuldafn
10 Whirlwind Sprint
Whirlwind Sprint can be amazing for not just traveling quickly, but also for reaching special areas in the game. WULD -NAH - KEST also can save players that might accidentally get stuck in places as the game does have awkward collision detection at times. It's a strong shout in battle as well, though, Whirlwind Sprint is just eventually outclassed by other options.
Words Of Power Locations
- Dead Men's Respite
- High Hrothgar
- Volskygge
9 Dragonrend
Using this shout is the best way to fight dragons in Skyrim, as it removes their aerial advantage. No one wants to fire bows and spells hopelessly into the air when JOOR - ZAH - FRUL can bring them down right away.
The Dragonborn doesn't need to use all the words to bring dragons to the ground either, it just increases the duration as the shout grows longer. Without it, players are stuck halving any dragon's health before they land, which can be a daunting task.
Words Of Power Location
- All words given during the quest "Alduin's Bane"
8 Marked For Death
In the original base game, Marked For Death had a bug making it incredibly broken. Even though this was fixed once DLC was released for the game, Marked for Death is still quite powerful.
KRII - LUN - AUS can make highly armored dragons and foes melt like butter, as it gives them an armor penalty and inflicts damage per second for a minute.
Words Of Power Locations
- Autumnwatch Tower
- Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary
- Forsaken Cave
7 Summon Durnehviir
Who doesn't want a dragon right by their side at a moment's notice? Players can summon an undead dragon to help aid them in battle with the simple shout of DUR - NEH - VIIR. It may have a long cooldown time, but it's hard to deny this is a phenomenal shout.
Call Dragon might seem a bit better, but Summon Durnehviir is much faster at getting the Dragonborn their own dragon companion. Plus, this shout can be used to even summon a dragon indoors where Call Dragon cannot.
Words Of Power Location
- All words given during the quest "Beyond Death"
6 Soul Tear
No enemy going into battle wants their soul torn out of their body. Dragon Souls can be used to unlock other shouts, but one of the best parts of Soul Tear is that if it kills the opponent it instantly fills a Soul Gem for the player. Furthermore, the opponent is raised from the dead as an ally.
As Soul Gems are so important for enchanting in the game, being able to fill them easily is a fantastic boon. RII - VAAZ - ZOL is worth collecting in its entirety.
Words Of Power Location
- All words given by the undead dragon Durnehviir the first 3 times that they are called via Summon Durnehviir (1 word each summon)
5 Dragon Aspect
MUL - QAH - DIIV gives players the power of a dragon! Well, without the firebreathing, to be fair. Dragon Aspect offers bonus power to attacks, an armor rating increase, increased fire and frost resistance, and even makes other shouts more powerful. It's a fantastic shout that will make any Dragonborn better if they have it.
Words Of Power Locations
- Temple of Miraak
- Raven Rock Mine
- Apocrypha
4 Bend Will
Riding dragons is so appealing even giants want to do it. GOL - HAH - DOV not only allows players to control any people or animals hit with it but can literally control dragons allowing the players to fly high through the skies of Skyrim.
Even more morbidly, players could use it like Dragonrend but with even more power to kill dragons brought to the ground while they are mind-controlled. They could do the same for humans as well, giving this shout some seriously creepy potential.
Words Of Power Locations
- Saering's Watch
- Black Book: Epistolary Acumen
- Skaal Village
3 Slow Time
Players can literally slow down the world around them by shouting TIID - KLO - UL. Try it in real life — it won't work but it'll get a lot of stares. In the world of Skyrim, however, this shout creates tons of possibilities.
Need to get at a better distance with a bow and arrow? TIID - KLO - UL. Make potions and enchantments last longer? TIID - KLO - UL. Can't take that massive damage from a dragon about to strike? TIID - KLO - UL. It can manage to get players out of many sticky situations.
Words Of Power Locations
- Hag's End
- Korvanjund
- Labyrinthian
2 Unrelenting Force
FUS - ROH - DAH! The penultimate shout isn't just amazing fun to use to send enemies flying, it's also just plain useful in most situations. It's one of the easiest shouts to find and complete, and every single player should make sure they do so.
Enemies thrown into a ragdoll state can give players a moment to breathe, heal up, and get ready for the fight to resume. Players can also use Unrelenting Force to toss enemies off cliffs which can result in massive fall damage. It even can stagger massive beasts like dragons and mammoths. FUS - ROH - DAH is powerful and should never be underestimated. Unrelenting Force is arguably the best shout to use in Skyrim for an offense if the player is on a cliff or mountain, as fall damage is deadlier than any weapon or spell.
Words Of Power Location
- The first word is found in Bleak Falls Barrow during the quest "Dragon Rising", with the next 2 given by the Greybeards after slaying Mirmulnir
1 Become Ethereal
It's hard to find a shout that allows players to decide exactly how they want to engage with enemies and situations as Become Ethereal can. Players might be suffering from frost and poison damage, but FEIM - ZII - GRON will put an end to that. Accidentally fell off a cliff? Good thing fall damage is no longer a problem.
It works amazingly with almost every build. If players need to get in close with their sword, it's a great way to manage it without taking damage. A mage that suddenly finds themselves ambushed can escape to fire off damage from a distance once more. An entire list could likely be dedicated to the uses of Become Ethereal as it's one of the best and most versatile shouts in Skyrim. Make sure to complete it.
Words Of Power Locations
- Ironbind Barrow
- Lost Valley Redoubt
- Ustengrav
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S.