Shouts also termed as the Voice or Thu’um is an ancient power used and inherited by dragons. They used these powers to dominate humankind for centuries.
But when the dragon wars started, Kyne instructed Paarthurnax to teach the powers of Thu’um to the mortal so that they can rebel against the dragons and stop the war.
As the Dragonborn, you already have the soul of a dragon which makes you capable of learning the Thu’um. But you’ll still need to learn the way of the Voice.
You’ll have to obtain the Word of Power from the Word Wall to get started. Then, unlock them by spending dragons’ souls. After unlocking the shout, equip them from the menu and press the shout button.
A shout consists of three words. With each word you learn, a shout’s power and effectiveness strengthens. Let’s discuss !
Learn the Thu’um
You can learn the words of a shout from Word Walls. Word Walls are ancient walls engraved with a message in the dragon tongues. You’ll find these walls mainly towards the end of Nordic Ruins or at the Dragon Lairs.
You can identify these Word Walls with the glowing energy emitting from the texts and the choral sound coming out of them. To learn the Word of Power, move closer to the word wall.
Unlock the Voice
You still won’t be able to use the voice after learning the words of power, though. You’ll need to unlock them first. Unlocking each word costs a dragon’s soul, which you can get by slaying dragons.
- After getting sufficient dragon souls, open the shout menu.
- Select the shout that you wish to unlock.
- Press the R key to unlock the shout.
As there are three words in a shout, you’ll need three dragon’s souls to unlock a voice fully.
Note: In your playthrough, you’ll also come across 15 Words of Power that will be unlocked from the get-go.
Use the Shout
Now, all there’s left to do is to use your shout ability. Open your shout menu and equip the shout that you’ve just unlocked. Then, proceed to use your shout ability.
- For a PC player, press the Z key on your keyboard.
- Press the Right-Bumper button on the Xbox controller to use the shout.
- On PlayStation, press the R2 button.
- For Nintendo Switch, press the R button.
You’ll use more words from the shout the longer you hold the button.
Use your Voice Efficiently
Despite being a magical ability, you’ll notice that your Magicka will not deplete when you use your voice. This is because the shout ability is linked with a cooldown timer instead of the Magicka meter.
The more words in the voice you use, the higher the cooldown timer becomes. You can view the timer from the glowing blue hud on your screen.
There are some items and effects that you can use to lower the cooldown timer. The first item is the Amulet of Talos. It’s a fairly common item, and when equipped, it will reduce the cooldown timer by 20%.
Next, we have the Blessing of Talos. You can get this effect by praying at the Shrine of Talos. The blessing further reduces the cooldown timer by 20%.
Finally, combining the amulet and the blessing will reduce the cooldown between your shouts by 40%, allowing you to use your shouts more frequently.
Best Shouts in the Game
There are 27 types of shouts that you can unlock in the game. Some of them are powerful, whereas some of them may not be worth your time. We’ve listed some of the useful shouts below:
Elemental Fury
This shout is one of the useful powers if you’re running a melee class build. Elemental Fury increases the speed and damage of melee weapons which can help you land more hit on enemies quickly.
Aura Whisper
If you enjoy playing as a stealth character, then you should look out for Aura’s Whisper. This shout works similarly to the Detect Life spell granting you radar of all life forms near your area.
Cyclone
The Cyclone shout can come in handy if you’re outnumbered by the enemies. Using the shout sends out a small cyclone which throws enemies off their balance, ragdolling them on the environment.
Slow Time
Archers will appreciate this shout ability as it lets you slow down time and lets you aim that precise headshot at the enemy.
Bend Will
Perhaps one of the most challenging shouts to obtain, Bend Will is one of the most powerful shouts in the game.
Using this shout on an enemy converts them into your allies temporarily and helps you fight against the enemies. You can even use this shout to tame and ride on dragons.
Unrelenting Force
This is the famous “Fus-Roh-Dah” shout that you’ve seen everywhere. It’s, no doubt, one of the stronger shouts in the game.
It can stagger or ragdoll almost any type of enemy in the game, giving you enough time to re-strategize your next move in combat.
