Unleash Your Inner Dragonborn: Decoding Skyrim’s Mightiest Shout
Skyrim is a land full of Nords, dragons, and cheese wheels. Amidst all the adventures, one thing truly sets a Dragonborn apart: Shouts. These are not average yells. They smash enemies, bend reality, and cause total chaos. So, the question is: “What is the strongest shout in Skyrim?”
Fear not, brave adventurer! We will explore the Thu’um and find the mightiest vocal weaponry here. Forget swords and bows; we step into the domain of dragon language and pure power.
Skyrim’s Shout Roster: A Dragonborn’s Arsenal
Skyrim has a wide range of Shouts, each with a unique purpose, from crowd control to total destruction. Let’s check out some of the strongest:
- Unrelenting Force: The classic. “FUS RO DAH!” – words made famous by Skyrim. Just two words for massive knockback. Need to clear a path? Want enemies off cliffs? Unrelenting Force is your go-to tool. It’s like yelling “Get off my lawn!” with serious muscle.
- Become Ethereal: Want to phase through trouble? Become Ethereal serves that purpose. This shout makes you temporarily invincible, so you can dodge damage. Perfect for times when you’ve angered a bandit camp and need to make a stealthy exit.
- Slow Time: Overwhelmed? Need more time to aim or drink a potion? Slow Time works as advertised. It puts you in bullet time against draugr and dragons. This shout helps you gain upper ground in chaotic battles.
- Bend Will: Now we speak of serious dominance. Bend Will, with all three words learned, lets you tame dragons. Yes, you can ride dragons. Forget fast travel; just shout until a dragon serves as your personal taxi. Acquire it during the Dragonborn DLC questline after facing Miraak. Make sure to have all three words.
- Dragon Aspect: Want even more powers? Dragon Aspect is your dream come true. This shout enhances your armor, weapon damage, and shout strength. It’s like boosting your Dragonborn potential to the max.
- Soul Tear: Want to raise the dead as allies? Soul Tear, from Durnehviir in Dawnguard DLC’s Soul Cairn, not only damages foes but can also reanimate their souls to aid you. You defeat them, and then they fight alongside you. Talk about insult to injury.
- Summon Durnehviir: Why stop at tearing souls? Summon Durnehviir brings the undead dragon to fight for you. Ensure you have all three words and enough space for him to land. No riding him in the base game, but mods fix that.
- Marked For Death: Now we reach heavy hitters. Marked for Death is a debuff shout that weakens enemy armor and deals lasting damage. It slashes 4,500 armor and inflicts 180 damage across a minute. It tells foes, “I won’t just defeat you; I’ll make you regret being here.”
- Cyclone: Think Unrelenting Force is powerful? Cyclone is the crowd control king. It creates a swirling vortex that lifts enemies and items skyward, sometimes into oblivion. Small cyclone causes 50 damage. Medium cyclone, 75 damage. Just be mindful; its force can make loot impossible to find.
- Dragonrend: Facing Alduin, the World-Eater? You will need Dragonrend. It’s designed to bring dragons down to earth, crucial for tackling Alduin and other haughty dragons who don’t want to fight grounded.
Deep Dive: Cyclone vs. Unrelenting Force – The Push-Off
Let’s settle a debate: Cyclone versus Unrelenting Force. Both push enemies, yet they work differently. Unrelenting Force is a focused blast for straight-line knockback. Cyclone causes area chaos. Want to send one enemy sprawling? Go with Unrelenting Force. Want a battlefield full of flying ragdolls? Choose Cyclone. Cyclone reigns for pure pushing power, sometimes causing lost items.
The Undisputed Champion? Marked for Death Takes the Crown
While shouts like Cyclone and Bend Will are versatile, one shout has the most offensive power: Marked for Death.
Why Marked for Death? Let’s break it down:
- Armor Reduction: A massive reduction of 4,500 armor. In Skyrim, that means telling foes, “Your armor is tissue paper.”
- Damage Debuff: A total of 180 damage over sixty seconds. It’s not just a single hit; it continuously harms enemies’ health.
Together, these abilities make Marked for Death the ultimate “boss killer.” It weakens foes greatly, making them easier targets. Other shouts deliver flashy utility or control, but Marked for Death focuses on pure amplification of damage.
Becoming a Shout Master: Unlocking and Enhancing Your Thu’um
Shouts are not gifts. You must earn them the Dragonborn way.
- Unlocking Shouts: Kill Dragons: The best method to unlock shouts is by absorbing their souls upon victory. Each soul allows you to unlock one word of power for a shout.
- Absorbing Souls: After taking down a dragon, absorb its soul automatically. Open your magic menu, go to shouts, unlock words of power. Defeat dragon, absorb soul, unlock shout, use it to conquer more foes.
The Glitchy Side: Unlimited Shouts?
Ah, glitches. Every Bethesda game carries them, and Skyrim does too. There’s a glitch that may grant unlimited shouts through a transformation into a werewolf or vampire. It requires button-mashing skills during transformation. Check YouTube if you want to explore this exploit. For purists, mastering shouts the regular way is satisfying and less risky for your game.
Dragon Riding: Because Walking is for Peasants
Want to feel like the ultimate Dragonborn? You can ride a dragon now. With the Dragonborn DLC and Bend Will shout, this is possible. Once you know all three words of Bend Will, target a dragon and unleash the shout for airborne action. This adds new dimensions to Skyrim exploration. Imagine the bandits’ faces as you dive overhead.
Final Verdict: Marked for Death – The Reigning Champion of Shouts
After exploring Skyrim’s shouts, the title of “strongest shout” goes to Marked for Death. Its massive damage and armor-shredding effects make it an offensive force unmatched.
While utilities like Cyclone shine and Bend Will offers dragon rides, Marked for Death remains supreme in raw damage potential. The true strength depends on your situation and style, but for weakness and destruction, Marked for Death is the shout you must have. Now go forth, Dragonborn, and shout toward victory… and maybe warn your neighbors first.
