This past weekend I was trying to decide which character I was going to take into the Nya raid with the Twitter/Discord group sometimes fondly referred to as Strawberries. I was leaning towards my blood elf warlock Salxi because I wasn’t sure if the usual lock player was going to be there and I know how handy locks are with their healthstones and summoning rituals. But Salxi’s item level was only 428 and her cloak was rank 2 and I was unsure about bringing yet another different toon to raid. When I expressed my doubts to my oldest daughter she told me, “Oh be a rebel and bring Salxi.” Not one to argue with such wisdom, that’s what I chose to do.
While I hadn’t been playing Salxi as much as my hunter, demon hunter, or paladin lately, she’s one of my oldest toons and one I have a lot of experience playing. I can’t exactly be sure because it was so long ago, but I believe Salxi was the second character I made in World of Warcraft after my hunter Sriset. I remember I made her because I was so used to playing with pets on Sriset that I wanted another toon with companions and warlocks with their demon minions sounded fun. Plus, I love Halloween and mystical things and a warlock fit into that nicely.
Back then, you had to learn how to summon each demon as you leveled and go on specific quests to get them. In that respect, I feel like I’ve earned my demons on Salxi. But I earned a lot more than demons on Salxi. When I saw the cool skeleton horses Forsaken got for racial mounts I thought they’d be perfect for a warlock. Yes, the standard warlock felsteed and dreadsteed are quite cool with their fiery hooves, but a skeleton horse upped the spooky factor. So I set out on the grind to get exalted with Undercity and earn the Forsaken mounts.
Becoming exalted with Undercity involved playing through the main Forsaken areas so I spent a lot of time in Tirisfal Glades, Hillsbrad Foothills, Silverpine Forest, Arathi Highlands, The Hinterlands, and Western Plaguelands. I make song playlists for when I play Warcraft and the only song I remember from my Salxi playlist is Disturbia by Rihanna because it always felt quite fitting. There were lyrics like: “Better think twice. Your train of thought will be altered. So if you must falter be wise. Your mind is in Disturbia. It’s like the darkness is the light.” The whole idea of your mind not quite being right and darkness and light seemed to suit a blood elf navigating the plague-ridden areas of the Forsaken.
I don’t know how long it took me to get exalted with Undercity and earn the right to purchase and ride their skeletal horses and warhorses, but I remember I was so happy when I finally did it! I bought every single one and alternated through them on Salxi because I loved all their colors and appearances. That was back when such mounts were bound to the character and not account-wide so only my spooky lock could ride around on her undead horse.
When the warlock class mount came out in Legion and it was the perfectly spooky-looking Netherlord’s Dreadsteed, I worked my butt off to get it and it was well worth the effort!
Unlike my hunter Sriset who I’ve changed the hair color and style of many times, Salxi’s hair has been black since the day I created her. I’ve changed the style a few times over the years but never the color because black just seems to suit a blood elf warlock in my mind.I have a few screenshots from Salxi’s early days and it’s fun to look back and see just how long some of my toons have been around and how they’ve updated the blood elf models.
Those screen shots were all pre-mog days too so I had to make do with whatever she got, but I always preferred her in a shirt and pants instead of robes. The Salxi of today has come a long way.
I look forward to Shadowlands when her hair can be truly black and not the overly gray-highlighted version we have today.
My experience in the Nya raid on Salxi was quite different than my experiences on Sriset and Srilari. I’ve done ranged on Sriset of course, but fighting with an affliction lock is different than a beast mastery or marksmanship hunter. On Salxi I was just dotting the heck out of everything, draining life, draining soul, fearing things that came too close, and getting a very good, far back vantage point during the battle against Ra-Den. While I did not survive any of our attempts to beat Ra-Den, including the final one when he finally fell, I still felt like I contributed and that I was finally figuring things out. Plus, I did survive the Hive Mind fight and that one’s tricky for me too.
So now once again I’m playing the catch up game on another character, trying to get better geared for raid. Salxi did get a very nice stave upgrade from Ra-Den which brought her item level up to 434. I went from playing mail, to leather, to cloth and discovering that a clothie was the way to go. I thought plate on my pally would’ve been the best choice but I’ve discovered that while up close fighting works fine for me solo, it’s not the best idea in dungeons or raids.
Turns out, Salxi is the little lock that could and I wouldn’t have been brave enough to try her in raid if not for the flexibility and kindness of my Warcraft family. I’ve learned a lot about myself as a player and as a person thanks to my Warcraft family and I look forward to many more adventures with the Strawberries! 😉
Srinity 