Unrelenting Force ( Skyrim ) Unrelenting Force is a dragon shout in . It is the very first shout learned by the Dragonborn . Unless the Dragonborn abstains from progressing in the main quest enough to find the Word Wall s needed to maximize another Shout , Unrelenting Force is the first of the game ' s shouts to be mastered . Location . The shout is learned during the main quest . The first word is found on the Word Wall within Bleak Falls Barrow , and becomes usable near the end of the Dragon Rising quest . It is unique in the fact that only one Dragon Soul is required to get the full power of the Shout . The first word is automatically unlocked once the Dragonborn absorbs Mirmulnir ' s soul . The Greybeards will provide the Dragonborn with their knowledge of the next two words , removing the need to obtain additional dragon souls to unlock them . Effect . The first and second words of Unrelenting Force will stagger enemies caught in its wake for a short amount of time . When the third word is used , the target is thrown backward and temporarily ragdolled , inflicting additional environmental damage upon impact . If thrown over a cliff or other significant dropoff , the victim will also take falling damage , which can cause much more damage or instant death . Large creatures , such as Dragons and mammoths , will not be thrown but will be staggered . If a dragon is using a breath attack at the Dragonborn and this Shout is used , the attack will be interrupted and the dragon will become staggered . Ethereal creatures , children , Dragon Priests , and Slaughterfish are not affected at all by Unrelenting Force . It is also possible to stop Unrelenting Force with a ward ; Necromancers and Conjurers often employ this tactic . Usage . While the damage caused by this Shout is minimal in most cases , it is useful for creating openings to attack an enemy or thinning out a crowd . It can also give the user breathing room and allow them to run from high leveled enemies , such as giants . It can be used , when fully upgraded , to blast foes off the top of long drops and let gravity dispose of them . Sailors are an exception to this , being the only characters in Skyrim which can be killed with all three words by default . As of expansion , Unrelenting Force has a more pronounced effect on certain objects in the game : insects ( such as torchbugs , moths , and dragonflies ) can be " knocked down , " and all varieties of fish ( except Slaughterfish ) can be killed when hit with the effect of this Shout , for example . Salmon killed in this manner yield both salmon meat and salmon roe , just as if they were killed by a bow . However , with the Dragonborn Force effect in the DLC , the shout becomes much more powerful , instantly killing weaker enemies and dealing significant damage to others , maintaining usefulness even against boss level enemies ( except for large creatures and dragon priests ) , especially when combined with the other " Dragonborn " shout , Dragon Aspect . This makes the shout much more versatile , and an overall more viable shout over the likes of fire or frost breath , especially in places with tight corners and draugr - infested dungeons .