A shout, or Thu'um, is a power you speak in the dragon language. Each shout has three words, and the more words you know, the stronger it gets. This guide explains how to unlock them and which are good picks. Facts here come from Wikipedia and the Elder Scrolls fan wiki.
Key takeaways
- Each shout has three words. You can use it with one or two words, but it is weaker.
- Learn words at word walls, then unlock them with dragon souls. One soul per word.
- Using a shout starts a cooldown, and a longer shout waits longer.
- The fan wiki counts 27 shouts, including 7 added by the Dawnguard and Dragonborn DLC.
How shouts unlock
- Find a word wall in a ruin or a dungeon. Reading it teaches you a word, but the word is locked.
- Kill a dragon and absorb its soul.
- Spend a soul on the word in your menu.
Some words come from teachers, like the Greybeards. A few shouts need no souls at all. The fan wiki names Call Dragon, Call of Valor, Clear Skies and Dragonrend as examples.
Images are provided by Steam and belong to their publishers.
Useful shouts for new players
| Shout | What it does |
|---|---|
| Unrelenting Force | Pushes enemies and objects away |
| Whirlwind Sprint | Rushes you forward very fast |
| Fire Breath / Frost Breath | Damaging elemental blasts |
| Slow Time | Slows the world around you |
| Dragonrend | Forces a dragon to land |
| Dismay | Makes weaker enemies flee |
| Throw Voice | Lures enemies with a fake sound, good for stealth |
Cooldowns
Shouts do not use Magicka or Stamina. They use time. The fan wiki says more words mean a longer wait. The Amulet of Talos cuts the wait by 20 percent.
How many dragon souls do you need?
The wiki says 44 souls unlock every base-game shout, and 65 with both DLCs, not counting shouts given by teachers. You will not run out of dragons in a normal game, but spend souls on shouts you will really use first.
Next steps
New to Skyrim? Start with our beginner guide and read how skills work in the leveling guide. All Skyrim pages are on the hub.
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