Banshee is a type of enemy in Dark Souls.
Location
There are only two that can be found in New Londo Ruins.
Description
They scream when the player gets too close, and is said to attract other ghosts. The main differences between Banshees and Ghosts are their red, glowing eyes, the Ghost Blade half-held in one hand, and the baby they carry.
Curse
Like the Ghost, the Banshee can only be killed if the player is Cursed, or is carrying a cursed weapon. Transient Curse allows temporary contact with a Banshee without actually being cursed. This is considered a self augmentation effect, and thus prevents the use of other self augmentations.
If the player is not cursed, they will not be able to interact with the Banshee in any way. This includes damaging it, of course, but also blocking it, or just reducing the damage taken with armor. Furthermore, the Banshee's attacks will always stagger the player when not cursed, as it bypasses armor, leaving the player poiseless.
Players can also use cursed weapons (such as the Jagged Ghost Blade or the Cursed Greatsword of Artorias). While this allows striking the Banshee, it will still leave the player unable to block with a shield, or reduce damage taken with armor. Cursed weapons can also be held with two hands to block.
If possible, the most complete strategy is to use a Transient Curse, but still wield a cursed weapon. This makes it so that the player is not left completely defenseless should the Transient Curse end at a bad time, or without the player noticing.
Enemy Information
Characteristics
| Respawn | Yes |
|---|---|
| Backstab | No |
| Damage Types | Regular / Thrust / Lightning |
| Abilities | Can grab the player. Scream attracts other ghosts. |
Attacks
| Attack | Damage | Attack Type | Status Effect | Parryable | Tracking | Attack Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunging Slice | 462 | Regular | None | No | Both | Medium |
| Double Lunging Slice* | 454 | Regular | None | No | Both | Medium |
| Quick Slice | 315 | Thrust | None | No | Neither | Fast |
| Stretch Slice | 238 | Regular | None | No | Neither | Fast |
| Ghostly Vengeance | 459 | Grab Physical |
None | No | Neither | Slow |
| Lightning Bolt | ??? | Ranged Lightning |
None | No | Both | Medium |
* Damage is per hit, in a 5 hit combo.
Defenses
| Physical Defenses | Elemental Defenses | Resistances | |||||||
|
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|
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| 171 | 171 | 171 | 171 | 128 | 87 | 342 | S | S | S |
These stats are sourced from FuturePress's Official Dark Souls Strategy Guide.
Drops
| Item |  Transient Curse ×2 |
 Ghost Blade |
| Drop Rate | 5% | 1% |
Gallery
