Banshee

Banshee
Location
Nightly Invasions Ruin Radio Tower Camp (Banshees)
Behavior	Aggressive
Attack type	Melee
Drops	None
Health	1(super low)
Running Speed	4 (Slow)
Stamina	None
View Distance	High
Damage	Light source
Notes	Opens doors, disables lights, summons Banshee Babies upon death. Capable of vaulting over fences. Cannot break barricades, but can enter once barricades are broken.
Release	Initial release

Banshees are aggressive creatures in Darkwood. They mostly appear during the night in the hideout the Protagonist is hiding in, although they can be found in different locations in the Swamp at day too, for example, the Ruins.

Banshees look like large, humanoid birds. A banshee's arrival is preceded by a distant, high-pitched scream and a flock of Crows flying over the Hideout. Their footsteps are very heavy, making them easy to hear moving around the hideout. Making eye-contact with a Banshee causes the screen to flash violently with a visage of their faces.

Banshees boast a uniquely dangerous and indirect set of abilities. While they do not have any direct attacks, if they get close to the Protagonist, or if the player attempts to attack them, banshees spread their wings and emit an ear-ringing shriek sound that causes the screen to shake momentarily. This is no ordinary scream as it will temporarily disable all the light sources in the hideout and incinerate the Banshee itself: from its corpse (which yields no items and quickly degrades in black soot) emerge five Banshee Babies.

In a special night event, a non-hostile Banshee will appear in or close to the Dry Meadow Hideout and, when approached, will leave behind a ? (Item). This item is possibly a stillborn Baby Banshee, or a fetus of one.

In another night event exclusive to the Dry Meadow Hideout, a Banshee will spawn but instead of trying to find the Protagonist it will attempt to aggressively breach the hideout, and if successful, this can leave inexperienced players at the hands of other inhabitants of the woods.

A non-hostile Banshee can be found mourning over dead Banshee Babies at the Radio Tower.

Strategy

• As attacking a Banshee has the same negative effects as letting them come in contact, trying to kill them is pointless.
• Banshees can warp over traps and fire and are immune to the skills Scream and Chameleon.
• Banshees are best avoided altogether by trying to remain mobile; leaving a looping path unbarricaded can allow a quick escape in case of a Banshee closing in; temporarily exiting the Hideout to evade them is viable, but it should be a last resort because of the risk of being attacked by the Floor Gore.
• The movement of a Banshee can be locked for around three seconds by looking in its direction. However, if stared too long, it will completely perform its shriek.
• Since Banshee Babies cannot vault through windows, it is possible strategy to pre-emptively set off a Banshee at the other side of the window via staring and avoid fights with the Banshee Babies.
• Since Banshees lack the ability to attack directly, they have no way of bypassing barricades. A fully barricaded part of the Hideout is completely impervious to Banshees unless other enemies destroy a barricade and grant them access.
• If it appears that the shriek of a Banshee cannot be avoided, it's best to use Gas Bottles for area denial against the emerging Banshee Babies. They cover a larger area without the inherent risks of Molotov Cocktails, and Babies are weak enough for the gas cloud to be fatal to them.
• In desperation, walking up to a wall and facing toward the wall may cause banshee to stop pursuing the player half the time.
• If a Banshee manages to shriek, it's a good idea to drop down a Flare to light the area while waiting for the lamps to turn back on.
• The skill Acid Blood makes Banshees much more manageable, since the damage is enough to make short work of the babies. However, it's not advised to rely solely on it, as doing so will still result in significant health loss.

Trivia

• Prior to Darkwood Alpha 7.2, Banshees summoned Red Chompers instead of Banshee Babies.
• Like most creature of the Darkwood, Banshee appear to be created from human beings: not only their bodies have more in common with men than with true avians, but a screaming and contorted human face can be seen when they open their beak to shriek.
• There is a shrine, or ritualistic circle, that can be found by in the woods behind the Radio Tower. It has a human body with a Crow/Raven on its face. This seems to be related to the creation of Banshees.

Gallery

Creatures
Aggressive
Banshee (Baby) • Burning Villager • Centipede • Chomper (Black • Red) • Elk • Floor Gore • Huge Dog • Human Spider • Mushroom Man • Shadow • Swamper
Carnivores
Banshee Baby • Centipede • Chomper (Black • Red) • Dog (Huge) • Human Spider • Swamper
Passive
Dog • Pig • Savage (Horned • Rock • Stick) • The Sow • Vines
Peaceful
Black Substance • Bride • Chicken • Crow/Raven • Glare • Growths • Huge Bug • Rabbit • Savage (Hole) • The Snout • Worms