The Dragon Aspect Shout in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim stands out as an incredibly versatile and potent ability for the Dragonborn. It not only summons formidable dragon-themed armor, enhancing your resistances and reducing Shout cooldowns, but also calls upon an Ancient Dragonborn ally when your health is critically low. This spectral warrior can turn the tide of battle with powerful Shouts like Unrelenting Force and Frost Breath. To truly master this Shout and unlock its full potential, you need to locate all three Words of Power scattered across Skyrim. This guide will pinpoint the exact locations for each Word of Power of the Dragon Aspect Shout, ensuring you can learn all 3 words of Dragon Aspect and dominate your enemies.
Understanding the Dragon Aspect Shout in Skyrim
Before diving into the locations, let’s understand what makes the Dragon Aspect Shout so valuable. Upon activation, it envelops the Dragonborn in dragonscale armor, significantly boosting fire and frost resistance. Furthermore, it dramatically reduces Shout recharge time, allowing for faster and more frequent use of all your Shouts. As you invest Dragon Souls to unlock each Word of Power, the effects of the Shout intensify, making you an unstoppable force on the battlefield.
The Dragon Aspect Shout operates as a Power, meaning it can be used once per day. A 24-hour in-game wait is required to use it again. However, the benefits it provides during that single use are substantial and can be strategically employed for the most challenging encounters.
To fully unlock the Dragon Aspect Shout, you must find three distinct Words of Power. While there isn’t a mandatory order to collect them, the final Word is tied to the culmination of the Dragonborn DLC questline. For clarity, this guide will detail each Word of Power location separately. All locations are within Solstheim, the island introduced in the Dragonborn DLC.
Dragon Aspect Word of Power – Strength
The first Word of Power, “Strength,” is almost guaranteed to be encountered during the Dragonborn DLC’s main questline. It resides in the Temple of Miraak, situated in the heart of Solstheim. You’ll naturally progress to this location shortly after arriving in Raven Rock, Solstheim’s main settlement. The quest leading to the Temple of Miraak unfolds as a classic dungeon crawl. As you navigate through the Temple, you will eventually reach a word wall. This word wall is protected by a Draugr Gatekeeper, a formidable but manageable opponent for seasoned adventurers.
Upon discovering the word wall and absorbing the Word of Power, you can spend a Dragon Soul to unlock the first tier of the Dragon Aspect Shout. This initial enhancement imbues your weapons with draconic energy, visibly enhancing them and increasing your damage output. Due to its early accessibility in the Dragonborn DLC, the “Strength” Word of Power can be obtained relatively quickly after reaching Solstheim.
Dragon Aspect Word of Power – Armor
The second Word of Power, “Armor,” is unique as it’s not directly tied to the main Dragonborn DLC storyline. Acquiring this word grants you the invaluable ability to summon an Ancient Dragonborn ally when your health dips below 50% in combat. This Word of Power is located within the Raven Rock Mine, situated in the northern region of Solstheim. Entering Raven Rock Mine initiates “The Final Descent,” a side quest that yields significant rewards, including the Bloodskal Blade, a unique greatsword that unleashes energy blasts.
The path to the Word of Power is blocked by a mystical gateway with glowing red cracks. To open this gateway, you must wield the Bloodskal Blade and utilize heavy attacks, aligning the energy blasts with the cracks. Vertical cracks require vertical heavy attacks, and horizontal cracks require horizontal attacks. To execute horizontal blasts, move from side to side while performing heavy attacks, aiming the crosshair at the cracks from a short distance.
Once the gateway opens, proceed through a corridor filled with blade traps to reach a chamber. Here, you will encounter Zahkriisos, a Dragon Priest, who serves as the boss of Raven Rock Mine. Defeating Zahkriisos grants access to the word wall in the same chamber, where you can learn the “Armor” Word of Power.
Dragon Aspect Word of Power – Wyrm
The final Word of Power, “Wyrm,” is reserved for the culmination of the Dragonborn DLC main questline. You must progress to the final quest, “At the Summit of Apocrypha,” to access it. The word wall is located at the end of Chapter 6 of the Black Book: Waking Dreams.
Upon entering this area, you’ll face two Seekers guarding the word wall. After dealing with them, Miraak’s dragon, Sahrotaar, will appear. You must use the Bend Will Shout at full power on Sahrotaar to tame and ride him. However, in a dramatic turn, Miraak will ultimately sacrifice Sahrotaar to replenish his own power. Despite this unfortunate event, absorbing the final Word of Power unlocks the complete Dragon Aspect Shout.
With all three Words of Power learned and Dragon Souls invested, the Dragon Aspect Shout reaches its zenith. It provides a massive 125 points of armor, a 25% boost to power attack damage and Shout effectiveness, further reduced Shout recharge time, and enhanced fire and frost resistance. This comprehensive set of buffs makes the Dragon Aspect Shout one of the most potent abilities in Skyrim.
Mastering the Dragon Aspect Shout
While limited to once-per-day usage, the Dragon Aspect Shout’s extended duration and powerful effects make it ideal for tackling challenging dungeons, dragon encounters, and boss battles. The reduced Shout cooldown synergizes exceptionally well with other powerful Shouts like Bend Will, allowing for rapid and repeated use in combat. Experiment with combining Dragon Aspect with offensive Shouts to maximize your damage output or with defensive Shouts for increased survivability.
By taking the time to learn all 3 words of Dragon Aspect, you unlock the full potential of this incredible Shout, transforming your Dragonborn into an unstoppable force capable of overcoming any challenge Skyrim throws your way.
