Skyrim mod delivers the true Dragonborn experience by introducing perk and upgrade systems for shouts

Skyrim's Dragonborn meditating on shouts.
Credit: SimonMagus616 on Nexus Mods/Bethesda.

Skyrim's Dragonborn meditating on shouts.
Credit: SimonMagus616 on Nexus Mods/Bethesda.

Modders have put an awful lot of effort into making sure Skyrim has continually evolved and expanded in the years since it was first released into the world.

Many have focused on changing the game by adding new questlines, fresh dungeons, and plenty of cosy player homes to it, with a few even going as far as giving the Dragonborn the ability to summon NPCs by yelling their names or wield spells modelled after Geralt of Rivia’s Witcher signs.

If you’re someone who still loves embracing the power fantasy that comes with becoming Tamriel’s dragon-slaying saviour and fulfilling your destiny of defeating Alduin in Sovngarde, a new mod might be worth taking a look at.

Ever felt like following the way of the voice in Skyrim should be a bit more interesting?

The mod in question is called ‘Stormcrown - A Shout Overhaul’, and is the latest work of modders SimonMagus616 and DeltaRider. The pair have previously collaborated on massively popular and incredibly detailed overhauls to Skyrim’s enchanting and alchemy mechanics.

This time, they’ve decided to turn their focus the Dragonborn’s iconic shouts, completely revamping the system used to learn and unleash these powerful ancient abilities by “(balancing) existing shouts, (adding) new Shouts, and (providing) additional progression for the player’s experience as Dragonborn.”

Headlining this array of changes is the introduction of a brand new Dragonborn-focused perk tree, accessed via a meditation power bestowed to you by the Greybeards. Working your way up this tree by killing dragons and absorbing their souls, will unlock a range of buffs and improvements to your general shouting prowess, such as increased damage and shorter cooldown periods.

You’ll also be able to upgrade individual shouts by paying a visit to Paarthurnax at the Throat of the World, building on the mod’s comprehensive overhauling of the game’s vanilla shouts to get rid of weak effects and bugs by using dragon souls to further augment their effectiveness.

The mod also includes two completely new vocalisations, Lightning Breath and Poison Breath, which you can add to your arsenal by learning their words of power, located at a couple of isolated spots in Skyrim and Solstheim.

Thought, before you can do so, you’ll first have to grab meh321’s ‘Address Library for SKSE Plugins’ and ‘Custom Skills Framework’, both of which are required to get things working as intended.

Regardless of whether your Dragonborn is now testing out their array of revitalised vocal abilities on some unfortunate bandits or townsfolk, make sure to follow us for more updates on The Elder Scrolls 6 and the interesting world of Skyrim modding. You can also check out our mods of the month for April 2023.