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Killing Mighty Banshees - Very High Level
Category: Combat
Subcategory: Melee
General Description: Killing mighty banshees in the Desert Slayer Dungeon using standard level-appropriate mage-protection melee gear and a macaw familiar to improve herb drops.
Creation/Revision Date: September 22, 2009
Members Only? Yes
Approximate Hourly Profit: 148,925 gp per hour
Overall Profit Rank: #306 / 473 (35th percentile)
Very High Level Method Profit Rank: #106 / 145 (27th percentile)
Multitasking Suitability: 2 (Very low)
XP Benefits: Melee (~54k/hr); Hitpoints (~17k/hr)
Other Benefits: Summoning charms (good number, green bias)
Additional Info: --
Method Requirements and Parameters for Method as Evaluated
Masked earmuffs or Slayer helmet, Magic-based melee combat gear
Slayer helmet, God cape, Salve amulet (e), Abyssal whip, Black d'hide body, Rune defender, Black d'hide chaps, Gloves {Barrows}, Dragon boots
Other
Unlocked ability to make rings of slaying
Input and Output Items and Values
Inputs (Total Value = 31,298)
Outputs (Total Value = 180,224)
Item
Qty
Value
Item
Qty
Value
Super attack (4)
1.5
651
Coins
15,000
15,000
Super strength (4)
1.5
1,711
Herbs {Macaw, all}
100
66,954
Super defence (4)
1.5
198
Chaos rune
80
4,480
Salmon
150
25,050
Cosmic rune
60
12,780
Macaw pouch
2
2,726
Air rune
120
960
Ring of slaying(8)
0.75
87
Pure essence
650
79,300
Ring of duelling(8)
0.75
875
Eye of newt
30
750
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Method Description, Instructions and Tips for Success
General Description
Mighty banshees are a tougher version of regular banshees, which are one of the best money monsters in the game. You gain access to them during the Smoking Kills quest, and can fight them any time thereafter as long as you wear either masked earmuffs or a Slayer helmet (if you've learned how to make one). Like their lower-level cousins, they are a great source of herbs and noted pure essence, and add to that cosmic runes, chaos runes and more.
Mighty banshees are located in a multicombat area, so you need to be careful fighting them -- they can hit pretty hard and are aggressive. The easiest way to fight them is to use prayer, but since the goal here is to make money, I describe a technique that uses armor and food instead.
With monsters that drop a large number of herbs, there are trade-offs between keeping all the herbs or leaving the lower-valued ones so you can try to get more of the ones that cost more. There is also a trade-off between using a beast of burden to get more herbs per trip, or summoning a macaw for its herb enhancing benefit, because the macaw increases the percentage of good herbs (ranarr and above) by a hefty 40%. The key factors that determine the best approach are the number of herbs you get per hour from the monster, the distance to the bank (and thus how much time you waste per hour banking if you take more trips) and the value of non-herb drops.
Mighty banshees drop large numbers of herbs, and they are extremely easy to get to -- only 30 seconds using a ring of slaying teleport to Sumona. For this reason I recommend using a macaw over a beast of burden, and keeping all of the herbs you get as drops.
Specific Method Details
Equip yourself at any bank, remembering to wear your enhanced Salve amulet and a ring of duelling. Take out from the bank a super set of any size and a macaw pouch. Summon the familiar, drink a dose of each potion and return the rest to the bank. Next, withdraw a full inventory of salmon (or other cheap food) to fill your inventory.
Use the ring of slaying to teleport to Pollnivneach and run south to the dungeon entrance. Go in and head just to the north and the mighty banshees are right there. Take your super set doses, summon the macaw and start fighting. Choose a spot that lets you trap some of the banshees along walls and obstacles, to try to ensure only one or at most two can attack you at a time; if you let them pile on you, they can do a lot of damage quickly. Eat the salmon as needed; you may find yourself not needing all of them, depending on how lucky you get with hits. On the other hand, you may run low on food if you get unlucky, but remember that you can use protection from melee if you get into trouble.
Each trip should take around 8 to 10 minutes. When done, use the ring of duelling to teleport to Castle Wars, bank and repeat.
All information based on Grand Exchange price data from: May 19, 2012. Note that the three-day delay in price updates is waived for RuneScoop members.