Banshee: Why Is She Unpopular? I May Know Why

[Svygor]

The reason why Banshee is unpopular is that people usually play low-level content but her abilities give you effect that you can really see only with hight-lvl enemies.

It's really boring to play warframe whose abilities are less effective than your gun in solving anything:

Do you need sonar with 30 lvls? No - it's easier to kill them with almost every weapon without spending time to aim week point.

Do you need any of her CC with 30 lvls? No - it's easier to kill them than to control.

 

And (someone already told it) her abiblities doesn't have immidiate effect like killing many enemies in short period, going unalerted, giving you and your teammates protection or anything else. All of her abilities are extremely useful when you or your teammates have some troubles (they need CC while reviving or you can't one-shot enemies with your supergun or you need to go safety to extraction point). But you don't have a chance to show your real power becouse it's hard to have troubles with 30 lvls - you need 60-100+ to do it.

 

You can ubderstand me if you're playing,  for example, survivals as Banshee. First 20-40 minutes you are abolutely useless frame and party don't need you at all. But when enemies became strong and durable enough, your powers let you kill hight-lvl enemies as easy as low-lvl. And your control can help your team to survive in this situation - even when you play with resist Trininty she needs a few seconds in safe place to cast blessing. And you - is the person, who can give her this seconds with your ult or silence. But how often do we need to stay 40+ minutes?

 

P.S. I think that Banshee is good the way she is now. Some power synergy (like double damage with SQ to enemies affected by Silence, that was mentioned in this topic) will be good bonus but she doesn't need real rework.

Edited December 27, 2015 by Svygor

[(PSN)CoolD2108]

Those ability are perfectly viable concepts for a frame and can be used as a basis for buffs that elevate the usefulness of the abilities without removing them. Yes, we need a semi stealth ability on a glass cannon as well as a lock down ultimate, cause those can be be fun to play with if the reward for the risk taken is good enough.

And what is the reward exactly? what does silence do except DELAYING enemy encounters before they rush at you like nothing ever happened? What can you do with a AE stun with a VERY high drain when you're frozen to place?

Viable my a**.

[Bobtm]

And what is the reward exactly? what does silence do except DELAYING enemy encounters before they rush at you like nothing ever happened? What can you do with a AE stun with a VERY high drain when you're frozen to place?

Viable my a**.

 

Silence is a zoning tool, it doesn't just stun a single time, its stun can be allowed to repeat by moving so that an enemy falls out of and then subsequently back into its range.  With apt usage it becomes a very viable defensive tool for the Banshee player.  But for someone not actively thinking/knowing its range and playing to that advantage the ability will feel greatly diminished.

 

With Banshee, one must actively be thinking and observing to make full use of their kit.  This is why she isn't popular.  Now before anyone goes into the whole "elitist" thing, I'm very happy frames like Rhino, Excaliber, and Mirage exist.  In a game that is PvE oriented it is a very good thing to have a swathe of character choices which vary in the parameters of skill-entry and skill-ceiling.  Having something like Mesa's no-nonsense 3 for a damage resistance is good.  Having something like the zoning stun tool Silence is good.

___________________

 

On the whole it's a peculiar issue.  In Warframe currently it is fairly easy to reach the 30 minute mark in a T4 Survival without using a single frame ability even in a 3 person team (when one person brought an Unranked Mk1-Kunai as their only weapon).  Using frames with a light touch alike Banshee works more than needed, a quick 1 cast when things get heated, having Silence up as a stun tool, these accentuate the already very possible survivability levels one holds to.  The need for constant unbreaking CC is actually not, in fact, a need at all.  Even against level 100 foes one can get by to a degree without infinite lockdown.

 

As it stands, Banshee in no way needs a rework.  A few bits of polish here and there, light tweaks, could be nice things for Quality of Life.  Personally my only gripes with Banshee are, Sonic Boom not being a one-handed action.  Many of the casts within its realm are already like this, with the range it has at base I feel that it would be a suitable candidate to be made one-handed.  The personal sound effect change while Silence is up.  This is precisely why I personally find myself not utilizing Banshee.  Silence along with the rest of her kit is outstanding, however I am the type to make constant use of audio queues to evade during heated conflicts.  The audio changes incurred by having Silence up makes it too difficult to hear the audio queue of an off-screen Scorpion, Ancient, Bombard, etc.  This in turn makes evasion less possible in a way that is (in my opinion) not needed.

 

There will always be a least played frame.  Frames that are less straightforward are always going to be the most prospective candidates for this spot.  Using this fact as an excuse to make all frames simple is in very poor form.  Having a variety of tools, with some being harder or easier to use is very healthy for a game of this nature.  As long as something's prospective usability doesn't break the game's challenge design at a core level (like old Blessing) then it has reason to exist.  Regardless of how thought intensive or not it may very well be.  This is normal for a game, the easier items to use are just going to appeal to more of a wider audience.  But this doesn't justify removing intriguing tools in favor of simplicity.

 

So, a short version;  Make Sonic Boom one-handed and remove or drastically lessen the personal audio dampening of the player's own audio while Silence is up.  Aside that Banshee is in a good spot.

[tnccs215]

.snip.

This. All of this.

Indeed, I have to thank the OP for reminding me about her. Have played her much more ever since you presentes this post.

And its odd. She is tricky, she is hard, but she is good, and its that trickiness that make her interesting. And, honestly, the sound of making her easier to use, to make her another another "1 button to mass murder" frame seems... Unnapealing.

I have no interest in having her rendered easy. High risk and reward define her much better. And, honestly, the reward we have now is not that small. If you think that sonar is an overkill, than congrats: You no longuer have to mod for strength.

A reduction to the sound dappening effect of silence is convenient, as well as making it recastable (but not restunning enemies im range), and tweaking soundquake. Maybe increasing her armor to 50, and thats it. She's perfect.

Edited December 27, 2015 by tnccs215

[hukurokuju5]

And what is the reward exactly? what does silence do except DELAYING enemy encounters before they rush at you like nothing ever happened? What can you do with a AE stun with a VERY high drain when you're frozen to place?

Viable my a**.

use 100% power range, so that you can get stuns at ranges that are actually useful.  resonance helps to extend sonar range with this kind of build. try it.  you're welcome

[ShortCat]

I was fighting so hard agains WoF Rework for Ember. Then time passed and it became a toogle ability, just as requested in threads on a daily basis. And look at her now - a total "Noobframe" where you press one button and can make a coffee or something. Is Ember a better frame now? She must be, as you can see her everywhere nowadays. 

So tell me, people who request a Banshee rework, do you want to transform a challenging frame in another mindless bot running around?

[tnccs215]

use 100% power range, so that you can get stuns at ranges that are actually useful. resonance helps to extend sonar range with this kind of build. try it. you're welcome

Doing a build using 79% range. Find it more viable, since its less distance I have to cover before finishing them off. And its Great for covering enemies on weakspots, though it takes a bit more work than a build focused on resonance only. Still Great. I Love melee, but find tankers too bland and easy to use. Banshee is Great for me. Not to mention the incredible scaling that the silence augment has: 300% finisher bonus? Hello, one shotted level 100 bombard.

And, yet, it isnt a free kill. It requires skill to be squishy and yet survive long enough to go Point blank.

Also, its one of the few frames I found a viable build using 3 augments.

[tnccs215]

I was fighting so hard agains WoF Rework for Ember. Then time passed and it became a toogle ability, just as requested in threads on a daily basis. And look at her now - a total "Noobframe" where you press one button and can make a coffee or something. Is Ember a better frame now? She must be, as you can see her everywhere nowadays.

So tell me, people who request a Banshee rework, do you want to transform a challenging frame in another mindless bot running around?

Yes. Than they'll go back to complain about how warframe isnt challeging, and blame enemy scalling and the lack of an "endgame", ignoring the fact that enemy scalling doesnt matter as long as there are frames that can shutdown a whole room with the press of a button.

[Cyandana]

Make Sonic Boom one-handed.

 

More lenient zones on sonar would also be nice so that people using shotguns and rifles can at least occasionally benefit from the damage bonus without having to get themselves killed trying to focus on hitting a small set of pixels. 

[(PSN)CoolD2108]

Silence is a zoning tool, it doesn't just stun a single time, its stun can be allowed to repeat by moving so that an enemy falls out of and then subsequently back into its range. With apt usage it becomes a very viable defensive tool for the Banshee player. But for someone not actively thinking/knowing its range and playing to that advantage the ability will feel greatly diminished.

With Banshee, one must actively be thinking and observing to make full use of their kit. This is why she isn't popular. Now before anyone goes into the whole "elitist" thing, I'm very happy frames like Rhino, Excaliber, and Mirage exist. In a game that is PvE oriented it is a very good thing to have a swathe of character choices which vary in the parameters of skill-entry and skill-ceiling. Having something like Mesa's no-nonsense 3 for a damage resistance is good. Having something like the zoning stun tool Silence is good.

___________________

On the whole it's a peculiar issue. In Warframe currently it is fairly easy to reach the 30 minute mark in a T4 Survival without using a single frame ability even in a 3 person team (when one person brought an Unranked Mk1-Kunai as their only weapon). Using frames with a light touch alike Banshee works more than needed, a quick 1 cast when things get heated, having Silence up as a stun tool, these accentuate the already very possible survivability levels one holds to. The need for constant unbreaking CC is actually not, in fact, a need at all. Even against level 100 foes one can get by to a degree without infinite lockdown.

As it stands, Banshee in no way needs a rework. A few bits of polish here and there, light tweaks, could be nice things for Quality of Life. Personally my only gripes with Banshee are, Sonic Boom not being a one-handed action. Many of the casts within its realm are already like this, with the range it has at base I feel that it would be a suitable candidate to be made one-handed. The personal sound effect change while Silence is up. This is precisely why I personally find myself not utilizing Banshee. Silence along with the rest of her kit is outstanding, however I am the type to make constant use of audio queues to evade during heated conflicts. The audio changes incurred by having Silence up makes it too difficult to hear the audio queue of an off-screen Scorpion, Ancient, Bombard, etc. This in turn makes evasion less possible in a way that is (in my opinion) not needed.

There will always be a least played frame. Frames that are less straightforward are always going to be the most prospective candidates for this spot. Using this fact as an excuse to make all frames simple is in very poor form. Having a variety of tools, with some being harder or easier to use is very healthy for a game of this nature. As long as something's prospective usability doesn't break the game's challenge design at a core level (like old Blessing) then it has reason to exist. Regardless of how thought intensive or not it may very well be. This is normal for a game, the easier items to use are just going to appeal to more of a wider audience. But this doesn't justify removing intriguing tools in favor of simplicity.

So, a short version; Make Sonic Boom one-handed and remove or drastically lessen the personal audio dampening of the player's own audio while Silence is up. Aside that Banshee is in a good spot.

On what kind of build is zoning even possible? One that conflicts with EVRY OTHER ABILITY IN HER KIT? Wow, so viable.

I'm using her with a simple stretch end even that is FAR from making this theoretical use impossible. And what about mobile defense missions? Defense missions? Enemys that definitly allways come from 2 directions and fall into your back while you're stunning one frickin group?

Point stands, it does NOTHING but delaying enemys, what's not even worth the spent energy and is definitly FAR from a fitting defensive tool for a glass cannon, on a kit that does nothing for her.

Seriously, whats all the resistance even about? Can you honestly say that reworking her would do her no good? That a push in the range category of a pull, actuall stealth on her silence and the lock removed from quake would be unhealthy for her?

That you like something doesn't mean that you have to accept it how it is! Like it or not, she is th least played warframe for a reason.

Edit: onhandet cast 100% agree.

Edited December 28, 2015 by (PS4)CoolD2108

[StinkyPygmy]

Because she's well balanced and not a cheese frame. And cheese is what a majority of players want.

The more cheese the more they can grind themselves into submission with farming draco etc.

Not that I have a problem with that exactly and I'm glad we have a good variety of easy Vs harder to play frames, but the community love grind despite how much they complain about it, and cheese is the way to go for achieving that.

 

Personally I love banshee, but she requires a bit more thought to play and is invaluable on long endless runs.

I'll take 12x dmg (and potentially more) plus great CC anytime of the week.

She needs minor tweaks at best, but other wise I'm happy with her.

Edited December 28, 2015 by StinkyPygmy

[RealPandemonium]

I was fighting so hard agains WoF Rework for Ember. Then time passed and it became a toogle ability, just as requested in threads on a daily basis. And look at her now - a total "Noobframe" where you press one button and can make a coffee or something. Is Ember a better frame now? She must be, as you can see her everywhere nowadays. 

So tell me, people who request a Banshee rework, do you want to transform a challenging frame in another mindless bot running around?

I was among the original proponents of the toggle change, but one of my stipulations was a significant (or increasing) energy drain that would make spamming WoF cost-prohibitive and promote decision-making.  I actually liked the toggle+duration WoF that we had for a while since it wasn't super efficient and was a power that you used when you needed it instead of a passive ability that you base your whole build around.  As always, DE won't have a dialogue with Ember veterans and we'll continue to have a poor product.  

[BattledOne]

I was fighting so hard agains WoF Rework for Ember. Then time passed and it became a toogle ability, just as requested in threads on a daily basis. And look at her now - a total "Noobframe" where you press one button and can make a coffee or something. Is Ember a better frame now? She must be, as you can see her everywhere nowadays. 

So tell me, people who request a Banshee rework, do you want to transform a challenging frame in another mindless bot running around?

You can turn any frame into a challenge frame by equipping 0 mods, using no abilities and equipping one of the dragon keys. Don't forget to have a synoid simulor to show off your skill.

[ShortCat]

You can turn any frame into a challenge frame by equipping 0 mods, using no abilities and equipping one of the dragon keys. Don't forget to have a synoid simulor to show off your skill.

And what exactly should this comment be, an argument of any kind? By that logic I can tell you not to play Banshee if you don't like her kit, however this is the worst anyone could bring in a discussion.

And you seem not understand what people mean, when they say she is challenging. It means you cannot mindlessly slap any mods you like without thinking and there is no " Oh snap!" button or mindlessly spamming all your skills won't lead to the best result.

[tnccs215]

You can turn any frame into a challenge frame by equipping 0 mods, using no abilities and equipping one of the dragon keys. Don't forget to have a synoid simulor to show off your skill.

A game is considered challenging or difficult when, regardless of equipment, loosing is still a (probable) possibility; one that depends on your skill and/or experience.

That is, by that logic, I can go scream around at the forums saying that tower IV survival is unbearably hard, because I can't do it without mods.

Plus, what's the point of this comment, exactly? "oh, difficulty is relative, nothing is true, we are all going to die"? Because the fact that everything can be made challeging if you actively make it (and if you don't happen to get into a squad with Molecular Prime/Radial Disarm/Exalted blade/whatever spammers) doesn't really justify the fact that Banshee SHOULDN'T (or should, for that matter) be challenging.

[Thebel]

Banshee lovers just need to accept that she isn't useful for like 90% of content.

 

The only time I find myself going man I wish we had a Banshee is against lvl 100+ enemies, besides that she's not that useful. She's really just a niche use now so she can't ever be that popular.

 

Sure she can get crazy high damage amp for the team but that's only useful for a handful of content. Even the argument of bringing her for CC is pretty insignificant when so many other frames have CC as well and probably bring more use in that 90% of content.

[[DE]Momaw]

The only time I find myself going man I wish we had a Banshee is against lvl 100+ enemies

 

Not really.

 

If your team needs CC, you bring a disarm Loki or a Slowva or a Frost.  If your team needs DPS, you bring an Excaliblater. If your team needs energy and transient immortality, you bring a Trinity.  Banshee lovers are basically saying she's awesome because she has the power of "make this one enemy do the funky chicken if I move in and out of range".  K?  If you could just.... have a Banshee, and not have to give up somebody who is much more critical, then she might be a little more popular because while she doesn't do anything amazing well, she's flexible. But that's not how Warframe works. You have 4 team slots, and they're filled by frames that are much stronger at performing a role.

 

I feel like this thread has run its course.  The reason WHY Banshee isn't popular has been gone over.  At this point it's a chorus of Banshee players saying they don't want their frame to be more popular because then she'd be too easy. Really this has all turned into a discussion that isn't about Banshee, it's about level scaling and skill:reward of the entire game.  It's changed from "Buff Banshee" to "Nerf everything that makes Banshee obsolete with their disgustingly easy and reliable strategies".

 

*shrug*

[tnccs215]

Banshee lovers just need to accept that she isn't useful for like 90% of content.

The only time I find myself going man I wish we had a Banshee is against lvl 100+ enemies, besides that she's not that useful. She's really just a niche use now so she can't ever be that popular.

Sure she can get crazy high damage amp for the team but that's only useful for a handful of content. Even the argument of bringing her for CC is pretty insignificant when so many other frames have CC as well and probably bring more use in that 90% of content.

That's... Not true. You must be confusing Banshee for Mag.

And what's the problem with a niche frame? A niche frame is only bad if it doesn't fill its niche. Banshee, herself, does feel.

Seriously, no frame has to be (and, tbh, no frame SHOULD be) useful in any and every situation. That takes away the point of the challenge, and makes this game little more than a power fantasy. And those are funny at the start, but quickly fall into being boring. That is not something one should aim to.

And, regarding the fact that you can take nova, Excalibur, etc, into late game instead of banshee... Well, aren't all of those broken beyond reason?.

[ShortCat]

You mean the ones that play her IGNORING all her flaws? Child and nuclear physics? Science vs Hardline Religion might me a more fitting metaphor.

What flaws are you talking about?

 

One complaint here wwas her low armor/shield/hp. Well, she is a caster with big energypool and long range abilities coupled with map awarnes and little CC. You don't need to be upfront with Banshee, so those stats are justified.

 

Sonar is the best damage amplifier in the game. Now, some crazy people argue you don't need it till lvl 100 enemies. This one could only come from a spoiled Boltor P. brat. I bet a rookie player without ubermods would find this ability usefull even in starchart.

 

Silence is wildly considered a weak/useless ability. Yes, its CC requires adaptation. But honestly, do we need another godly CC in a game as easy as Warframe? Silence is good, not because other CC like M.Prime or Prism are better, but because they are overpowered as hell; Silence is a remnant of balanced abilites.

 

Sound Quacke is the biggest issue. I would welcome changes, not because it is so bad, but because I can finish certain sorties with a team of MR4. It is godly CC with max range and efficiency.

[ShortCat]

This topic is like Ember-discussion 2.0. By that I mean it is like arguing with a wall.

You can provide help and hints how to play her; share good and valid builds; post screenshots or videos of successfull gameplay. However, resistance is futile.

All it takes is one player who cannot handle her and everyone jumps on the bandwagon. Like a pack of hungry wolves they will attack her, until nothing is left.

 

Go ahead, make her another trivial and braindead Frame.

[[DE]Momaw]

What flaws are you talking about?

 

 

"One complaint here wwas her low armor/shield/hp. Well, she is a caster with big energypool and long range abilities"

 

^ Except all the supposedly pro Banshee players are saying NOT to build for max range because then it makes it harder to abuse the stagger on Silence.

--

 

"Sonar is the best damage amplifier in the game. Now, some crazy people argue you don't need it till lvl 100 enemies. This one could only come from a spoiled Boltor P. brat"

 

^ Boltor Prime is popular because it's big and loud and easy to use.  It is not the strongest weapon in the game.  Heck, at this point it might not even be Top 10.

--

 

"Sound Quacke (....). It is godly CC with max range and efficiency."

 

^ Mirage has better range, gives melee stealth mult on blinded enemies, works on flying enemies, and doesn't lock the player using it out of actually playing.

[Autongnosis]

This topic is like Ember-discussion 2.0. By that I mean it is like arguing with a wall.

You can provide help and hints how to play her; share good and valid builds; post screenshots or videos of successfull gameplay. However, resistance is futile.

All it takes is one player who cannot handle her and everyone jumps on the bandwagon. Like a pack of hungry wolves they will attack her, until nothing is left.

Go ahead, make her another trivial and braindead Frame.

Nope. Not by a long shot.

Old Ember had deep functionality problems. The rework is not that good because of a couple of things, but it did solve some of the more pressing issues (power hungriness, requiring every stat etc).

Banshee on the other hand is perfectly functional, but that does not mean at all that she can't be made a bit more friendly.

Bamshee has a couple of things that could b improved upon:

- the first being Sonar, which is a damage amp for weapons. Full stop. I mean, why not add something cooler? Maybe an Impac proc to all enemies in X m range from a kill through Sonar spot? Something to make the skill more interesting and worth to build in different ways.

- Silence is a great ability in an on itself, although it could be made to open for finishers enemies without the augment (like excal' blind for instance). Also you could for QoL reasons remove the muffle effect, which hampers greatly your ability to react on sound cues.

- Soundquake shouls, imho, be trashed and rebuilt from the ground up. Not because it's bad or anything, but because it basically locks you out of the game for good. How is that fun? I've gotten to the point where i press 4 on her only if my affinity mission is "From Whithin", go figure.

- Banshee, like Trinity, comes from another era. Their casting animations are way clunkier than what most frames get. Banshee could really use the ability to cast on the move OR the ability to cast 1-handed. Think of Vauban, who only has 1-handed casts. Banshee is basically screaming for every cast bar Sounquake, she *could* get 1-handed casts for her 1-2-3. Or just her 1, or her 3, or whatever. Still.

Banshee is by no means a bad frame. But she CAN be improved. And a lot of psts in this discussion, both from the "banshee iz purfect y u no MLG pro nuff 4 her" crowd or the "banS#&$e is all she iz" crowd,are NOT helping in any way any constructive discussion that could be going on.

[ShortCat]

"One complaint here wwas her low armor/shield/hp. Well, she is a caster with big energypool and long range abilities"

 

^ Except all the supposedly pro Banshee players are saying NOT to build for max range because then it makes it harder to abuse the stagger on Silence.

--

 

"Sonar is the best damage amplifier in the game. Now, some crazy people argue you don't need it till lvl 100 enemies. This one could only come from a spoiled Boltor P. brat"

 

^ Boltor Prime is popular because it's big and loud and easy to use.  It is not the strongest weapon in the game.  Heck, at this point it might not even be Top 10.

--

 

"Sound Quacke (....). It is godly CC with max range and efficiency."

 

^ Mirage has better range, gives melee stealth mult on blinded enemies, works on flying enemies, and doesn't lock the player using it out of actually playing.

He missed every single point I meantioned in my post and gets an upvote. Good job.

[(PSN)CoolD2108]

What flaws are you talking about?

One complaint here wwas her low armor/shield/hp. Well, she is a caster with big energypool and long range abilities coupled with map awarnes and little CC. You don't need to be upfront with Banshee, so those stats are justified.

Sonar is the best damage amplifier in the game. Now, some crazy people argue you don't need it till lvl 100 enemies. This one could only come from a spoiled Boltor P. brat. I bet a rookie player without ubermods would find this ability usefull even in starchart.

Silence is wildly considered a weak/useless ability. Yes, its CC requires adaptation. But honestly, do we need another godly CC in a game as easy as Warframe? Silence is good, not because other CC like M.Prime or Prism are better, but because they are overpowered as hell; Silence is a remnant of balanced abilites.

Sound Quacke is the biggest issue. I would welcome changes, not because it is so bad, but because I can finish certain sorties with a team of MR4. It is godly CC with max range and efficiency.

Low range on sonic boom. I mean its kind of a counterpart to mags pull...why the hell should it be set at 15m? Not to mention the low effect...pull at least draggs enemys over the map instead of sneezing at them. Thers quite the difference in theyr recovery time and you're out of luck if you somehow manage to push them out of your range.

Silence is litteraly useless. It doesn't need adaption but it does litteraly nothing for you. There is like this short zoning CC that does nothing but delaying enemys on 20m baserange (usually out of your sight if you somewhat build for CC). Do we need another godly CC? -Well, it wouldn't hurt to have any sort of defense on a glass cannon!-

Soundquake is among the most expensive ults while locking you in place. Thers a couple frames out there that do significatly MORE for LESS.

Sonar is her only decent ability, given that it works.

And she is a glass cannon despite all this.

Flaws. MASSIVE flaws.

[Bobtm]

Low range on sonic boom. I mean its kind of a counterpart to mags pull...why the hell should it be set at 15m? Not to mention the low effect...pull at least draggs enemys over the map instead of sneezing at them. Thers quite the difference in theyr recovery time and you're out of luck if you somehow manage to push them out of your range.

 

Sonic Boom is not a counterpart to Pull, that's far too binary of an outlook on things.  Pull has the greater range benefit, but causes foes to become closer to your current position, this can be a major drawback.  The utter humor of those times a Mag pulls a Leech Eximus near themselves and doesn't immediately kill it, pulling handfuls of Runners near them, only proceeding to kill them with a firearm and loser 50% of their HP immediately, etc.  Pull is the longer range but has far fewer advantages.

 

The recovery time on foes stricken with Sonic Boom is fairly lengthy, it's a potent skill as it stands and has a fair range for its benefit.  Of course as I already covered it's not perfect, having it become one-handed is all the change which is warranted on this ability.

 

Silence is litteraly useless. It doesn't need adaption but it does litteraly nothing for you. There is like this short zoning CC that does nothing but delaying enemys on 20m baserange (usually out of your sight if you somewhat build for CC). Do we need another godly CC? -Well, it wouldn't hurt to have any sort of defense on a glass cannon!-

Soundquake is among the most expensive ults while locking you in place. Thers a couple frames out there that do significatly MORE for LESS.

 

The first part of the above quote is objectively false.  Silence is a far greater CC tool than you make it out to be, and it's a better designed ability than most in that it isn't mindless.  We have a wealth of frames that require no tact as it stands, things like easy-mode Vauban or Loki is alright (mind you I'm not being spiteful and list both regularly among my overall favorites) but having all frames be as straightforward and painfully easy as they is both not needed and a genuinely bad idea.

 

No other frame is a "glass cannon" at even  close to a level of Banshee.  If her offense is as absurd as it is, it in turn warrants having less ease of access to defense.  This is what balancing is!  And this is precisely why any prospective Banshee changes need to be handled with care.  Ramping up the ease of personal sustainability on Banshee would more or less require that her offensive abilities become dampened, because one can't have the unquestionably best offense in the game along with a solid defense.

 

With Silence you're rewarded with a fair bit of CC for getting in close, a literal example of risk - reward in tandem.  Silence coincidentally enough has indirect synergy with Sonic Boom.  Dash in close onto foes with Silence up to stun them, this grants you time to pop a handful of foes, and then just before the stagger wears off you can unleash a Sonic Boom and send the horde cascading away humorously and effectively.  Then you can take the time to hit more and then (if warranted by the situation) zone back into Silence range to reapply the stun.

 

Is it a playstyle without its risks?  Definitely not, but you're doing more damage than any other frame can even dream of knocking on.  Without Blind Rage you can land 800K+ crits with the Rubico, landing upwards of 100k crits on a not even fully kitted out Lex Prime.  Offensive and defensive abilities must be weighed and thought of with regard to one another.  Banshee is raw offense, bar none and comparable to naught else within the listing of frames.  Even Mirage isn't capable of coming anywhere near Banshee's offensive prowess, there's no contest.

 

Such power as this comes with a cost.  This cost is the willing knowledge that your innate defensive measures are lessened.  In other words Banshee is the definition of a correct type of choice within a game.  Something with clear cut advantages and disadvantages.

 

As for Sound Quake, I agree that this skill is pretty mediocre all in all.  However the issue with "sweeping rework/replacement" is this;  Sound Quake cannot be replaced with an easy CC, nor can it be replaced with a potent defensive skill.  Banshee should not be given any defense beyond what she has now, because it would render her an imbalanced mess.

 

Flaws. MASSIVE flaws.

 

Proper design with pros and cons that actually have to be considered isn't a flaw.  Too many frames can ignore whatever short list of weaknesses they have as it is.  That said as long as a frame doesn't obliterate any semblance of gameplay (like old Trinity) I generally just sit back and watch, rather than suggest a nerf to something silly or overpowered (like Loki).  However by the inverse I'm not going to stand by and let players try and act like every frame needs to be an easy to use and overpowered mess.