Banshee

Banshees are Tier 2 Sorcerer enemies, who are first fought in Level 25.

Appearance
Banshees are pale-skinned witches who wield enchanted polearms and wear short dresses with magic swords strapped to the back, along with shoes, gloves and a simple headress. Armored Banshees have armpads, greaves, chestplates and more ornate headdresses, in addition to what they wear. The headdress, chestplate, and armpads can be broken when the Banshee is stunned, while the only way to destroy the greaves is for the player to successfully duck under a Banshee's charged melee attack.

Attacks

 * Polearm Attack: Banshees can swing their polearms down-left, down-right, left or right. These moves can be parried, and Banshees would usually attempt a down-left slash as their first attack.
 * Magic Projectiles: After attempting a down-left slash, the Banshee will step back and use her magic powers to conjure multiple projectiles to throw at you. Any of them are either energy balls you must avoid or magic swords that you can bat away with your blade.  After that, the Banshee will launch a magic sword to your left or right.  If you hit it with your blade, you can deflect the magic sword right back at the Banshee, stunning her.
 * Charged Melee Attack: After performing a series of melee attacks, the Banshee can charge up her polearm with magic, like the Warlock, and try to strike you with it. This move must be dodged, but a successful dodge may put you at a position to openly attack the Banshee.

Advice
Banshees are one of the most difficult enemies in the game. You can easily avoid all of the magic projectiles a Banshee throws at you if you want to avoid risking any damage, but it is very important not to miss the one last sword that the Banshee throws at you. If you can parry it correctly, you can deflect that sword right back at the Banshee, stunning her and giving you a chance to attack her.

If you either dodge or get hit by the last sword, pay attention to where it comes from, as it's also the Banshee's follow-up attack at you : if the sword comes from the right side, then the Banshee will also attack you from the right side, and vice versa.

A Banshee's melee atacks can also be difficult to read since she wields a polearm, which is quite unlike a sword in some respects since it is gripped at the middle. If you are having trouble figuring out which way to block, try paying attention to the Banshee's arm movements. If she holds the polearm with only one hand, she is attempting a sideways attack. If she holds the polearm with both of her hands, she is attempting a downward diagonal attack.

Sometimes, when the Banshee prepares a charged melee attack, there is a chance that you can wallop the Banshee with a down-left power strike instead of having to dodge. Watch for the prompt carefully and do not miss it! Also, while the Banshee is stunned, there is a chance that you can hit her with a downward Power Strike.