Key Takeaway
Gizamaluk—the Notorious Mark of the Wailing Banshee hunt—is found in an abandoned village within the northern part of the Kingdom of Waloed. The fastest way here is to start from the Vidargraes obelisk and then head southwest.
This hunt can be started after you begin the main quest Back to Their Origin.
If you’re determined to complete every Hunt Board contract in Final Fantasy 16, you’ll need to take care of the Wailing Banshee hunt sooner or later. While you won’t get the best loot for slaying this airborne adversary, it’ll be satisfying to check it off your hunt list.
Table Of Contents
Where to Find Gizamaluk, the Wailing Banshee
You can start the Wailing Banshee hunt shortly after you begin the main quest Back to Their Origin. Once you do, you’ll be able to find Gizamaluk in an abandoned village in the northern part of the Kingdom of Waloed.
The quickest way to this A-rank Notorious Mark’s location is to start from the Vidargraes obelisk and travel southwest towards the aforementioned village. Check out the map image above for Gizamaluk’s exact location.
How to Beat Gizamaluk, the Wailing Banshee
This fight is much like taking on Aruna in the Angel of Death hunt. However, Gizamaluk is much stronger and packs some unique moves for which you should prepare. If you’re one of those players who farmed Gil and Ability Points from the Wind Elementals prior to the early-game boss battle against Garuda, you’ll be better equipped for slaying the level 41 Gizamaluk.
- Cacophony: At the beginning of the fight—as well as throughout it—Gizamaluk uses this named ability (its name appears on-screen right before it’s used). This move causes greenish-white lights to appear on the ground around you. These spots erupt in windy explosions after a couple of seconds, so stay away from them to avoid taking damage. However, during this attack, the Notorious Mark remains stationary: a great opportunity to land some hits.
- Mini Cacophony: Without warning, your enemy summons three greenish-white light mines around your position. You need to get out of the perimeter made by these lights to evade the attack. Staying on the move can help you avoid this assault without even thinking about it.
- Wind Blades: If you’re out of melee range, Gizamaluk launches crescent-shaped wind projectiles at you. Sometimes the winged warrior even launches two or three such missiles at you back-to-back. You need to dodge each one individually. Thankfully, timely tapping the dodge button when you see them coming is enough to negate damage.
- Storm Chaser: After it drops below 50% health, the Wailing Banshee begins using this named ability (its name appears on-screen right before it’s used). Greenish-white lights appear in random scatterings nearby while the aerial enemy charges at you three times in quick succession. You need to avoid the light mines as well as Gizamaluk’s linear tackles simultaneously, so it’s advised to focus on dodging and peppering the target with magic attacks until the third charge has been done.
WarningThe Wailing Banshee makes frequent melee attacks as well. Although such maneuvers are pretty fast, if you time your reactions accordingly, you can parry and dodge all of them. Look for your foe tensing in mid-air, as this is usually followed by a lunge, slash, charge, or kick.
There are also times when Gizamaluk is hovering just above the ground. In such positions, your foe may unleash wide horizontal slashes. Dodge backward to avoid these kinds of attacks when you see the enemy lift one of its arms to the side.
TipIronically, we found Garuda’s Eikonic abilities to be the most helpful during the Wailing Banshee hunt—especially if they’re upgraded. Aerial Blast is (as always) a great way to passively deplete your enemy’s Will Gauge. Immediately using Deadly Takedown once Gizamaluk’s Will Gauge drops below 50% is a convenient way to stun it while you use Gouge to cleave through the rest of its Will Gauge.
Besides that, most other Eikonic abilities suffice for damage output. With that said, since the Wailing Banshee spends a lot of time high in the air, we recommend avoiding attacks that have damage hitboxes along the ground, such as Shiva’s Ice Age, Phoenix’s Rising Flames, and Titan’s Windup.
The Wailing Banshee Hunt Rewards
You get the following rewards after clipping Gizamaluk’s wings:
- 3,000 Experience
- 80 Ability Points
- 9,700 Gil
- 45 Renown
- 1 Clouded Eye
- 20 Sharp Fangs
- 10 Magicked Ashes
This hunt is more of a footnote in your adventure than an interesting activity. The rewards are pretty lame for this point in the game, and all for defeating an enemy you’ve seen plenty of times before. However, there’s another—more powerful—Notorious Mark nearby. Use this fight as a warm-up before you take on the Masterless Marauder. It offers much better rewards such as a Behemoth Shackle and an Orichalcum. Make sure to bring a lot of potions for that hunt…
