How to Use It Effectively - The Banshee

The Banshee was given it's name by the shrill shrieking noise it makes during flight. So when you hear it coming you need to deal with it fast. The reason why a Banshee is such a potent killing machine is because the gunner and the pilot are one. The pilot is always pointing at where he intends to shoot. Add to that the very agile nature of the craft, it being relatively small and able to perform flips, makes this vehicle a very evasive and effective killing machine.

A banshee needs to watch out for other aircraft and in particular scorpion tanks, which could blow them up in one direct hit.

Being agile mean that the Banshee is fairly weak, only able to withstand so much small arms fire. High velocity bullets like sniper rifles will rip the craft apart in a few shots.

When piloting a Banshee your key objective is to stay on the move and avoid lots of attention. Not easy when you are flying high in the air with no cover, right? The Banshee's greatest strength is it's ability to quickly kill enemies using the fuel rod gun (secondary fire weapon). Infantry, and light vehicles get one-shotted with ease.

Try to focus your fire on infantry, who make easy prey. However if an enemy is virtually underneath the Banshee don't circle around to the ground in an attempt to desperately get a difficult kill as this will make you an easier target for grenade sticks, plasma pistol and grenade EMP effects and sky-jacking attempts. Instead break off and find a new target.

Spotting infantry is easy from your vantage point in the sky. You need to get a feel for how to set up for an attack. To set up effectively you need to bear in mind where your target is, could he run for cover? does he have teammate support who may attack you? are there any enemy vehicles nearby? If using the fuel rod gun, ensure you get within range to allow for travel time of the projectile to hit the target accurately.

The same applies for attacking ground vehicles. The only big difference is when taking on an enemy tank. Depending on it's strength the tank will require two shots from the fuel rod gun to destroy it. From the front tanks have stronger armour. Try to get behind the tank and attack from the rear, this will prove deadly to them, and will ensure that you don't get fired upon, putting you under less pressure at least initially.

When attacking another Banshee you need to be aware of a few things. An important point is to keep at a range that allows you to fire with the standard canons, but allowing you some time to evade (roll or somersault) to avoid a fuel rod gun shot. You can also use somersaults to get above and behind an enemy to get the advantage over them. Another good tactic is to bring the battle down to the ground, luring an enemy Banshee nearer your allies who can then fire or sky-jack the enemy vehicle and claiming it for your team.

Notice in this video that the Banshee pilot always keeps moving, performing somersaults and boosting around. This makes him virtually unable to be hit or attacked, which is exactly what a Banshee pilot should be doing.

One thing not to forget is that all covenant vehicles possess a boost ability that allows for quick movement, but at the cost of being unable to fire whilst boosting. A Banshee can use this ability to snap around the map very quickly and instantly rain death on unsuspecting victims, in a lot of cases for the entire length of a match.


A Banshee can control the map, control the players on both teams and can ultimately decide the game, if used effectively!

Try to take out a Banshee wherever possible, as you will find it much easier when one is not threatening you and your team throughout the course of a match.