Two Bosses Enter: Salramm the Fleshcrafter vs. Svala Sorrowgrave
by Lisa Poisso 
Sep 10th 2009 at 7:00PM
It's an Undead flesh feast inside this week's Two Bosses Enter Thunderdome: Salramm the Fleshcrafter of The Culling of Stratholme versus Svala Sorrowgrave of Utgarde Pinnacle. The Fleshcrafter veritably tooled Drakos the Interrogator (The Oculus) in his first-round matchup, fleshing out a solid win that carried him into this round. His opponent, Svala Sorrowgrave, defeated The Prophet Tharon'ja (Drak'Tharon Keep) by a wide margin in her own first-round match.
Here are the ground rules for this week's second-round Salramm-versus-Svala matchup:
- Assume that the opponents along with their collected minions share similar levels, health pools and comparative overall damage output.
- This deathmatch takes place in neutral territory, but this shall not hinder either boss from using his or her usual encounter abilities. Yes, this means Svala gets an altar or some means with which to work her sacrificial magic.
- All the usual minions will be available to each boss.
- Don't get caught up in gameplay mechanics and what actual players might do in each encounter.
- Don't neglect style, story and scale.
Salramm the Fleshcrafter (The Culling of Stratholme)You are too late, champion of Lordaeron. The dead shall have their day.
Salramm the Fleshcrafter, the second boss found in The Culling of Stratholme, is a Human Necromancer. He is known for his explosive summons – in this case, ghouls.
Read more about Salramm the Fleshcrafter's battle style, and review insights from players who've fought him.
Svala Sorrowgrave (Utgarde Pinnacle)
My liege! I have done as you asked, and now beseech you for your blessing!
Svala Sorrowgrave, the first boss of Utgarde Pinnacle, is a Vrykul who is being transformed by the Lich King himself into a Val'kyr just as you enter her room. She periodically sacrifices an opponent on her altar, held in place by three summoned Ritual Channelers who must be killed to release the victim.
What makes this fight different from the one you are used to as a player is that Sorrowgrave may find herself turned into a skeleton before she can put her opponent on the altar. What happens then?
Read more about Svala Sorrowgrave's battle tactics and review comments from players who've fought her.
The smackdown
Remember: no player-tactic or game-mechanic nitpicking. Vote for the spirit of the battle as set forth above. Set aside differences in opponents' health pools, game level and actual damage output. It's style and technique that make the difference.
Who wins - and why? Post your reasoning, and let's come up with what goes down.
| Salramm wins (Svala dies) | |
|---|---|
| Svala wins (Salramm dies) | |
| Tie (something else happens) |
Cast your vote in this match of Round Two of the five-man Wrath of the Lich King season to help us determine who rocks Wrath's five-man world.Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Features, Lore, Bosses, Two Bosses Enter
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Nizari Sep 10th 2009 7:08PM
Salramm, easy. They go into combat, and he uses Steal Flesh and Twisted Flesh to knock off a lot of Svala's life, and nerfing her damage. As long as he gets some ghouls out before she uses Ritual of the Sword, they'll kill the channelers, or a ghoul will be paralyzed and then he'll kill the channelers, and then he can lob shadow bolts at her from afar.
thebitterfig Sep 10th 2009 10:55PM
I disagree. The ghouls are pretty weak, and I could see them being weak enough to not hack through the cultist, or at least barely do it in time for Salramm to take a big hit from the sword. And Salramm, being at least half melee focused, won't be able to pound much on her when she's dropping the sword in those times when a ghoul gets trapped and not him.
Kadamon Sep 10th 2009 11:08PM
I voted Svala because she just needs to do the Ritual of the Sword first thing before anything else happens. Since she doesn't have to rely on game-mechanics, she's an auto-win character.
If and only if Salramm gets the ghouls out, what's to say he can manage to blow up all three of the Channelers with fireballs coming in from the fires and the damage that the Channelers come up with?
It's a pathetically easy win for Svala.
Nellius Sep 10th 2009 7:14PM
I reckon that if Salramm can properly use his ghouls to avoid getting sacrificed, he has this one down easily. That's going by the assumption that if Salramm himself gets "paralyzed", his ghouls will be able to take down the channelers before he's killed. If he can overcome that, he simply has better abilities, for which Svala has no counter.
Xavs Sep 10th 2009 7:30PM
Agreed with Nizari and Nellius.
This is an easy win for Salramm, but only if he can stop ritual of the sword using his Ghouls (or better, have one of them sacrificed).
Seeing as how Svala's channelers only have 13 K health max, and Salramms explode ghoul does 6300 max, within 2 ghoul explodes, all of the channelers are close enough to dead to be finished off quickly by a remaining ghoul/ghouls.
Clbull Sep 10th 2009 8:16PM
Doesn't Salramm have to cast the Explode though? Which he can't do if hes currently stuck under the ritual.
Angus Sep 10th 2009 7:29PM
Salarmm starts this fight strong, but eventually he blows up his adds and as she takes the damage she starts the sword ritual. Will it be enough?
Meh. Don't care, they are both lame.
Ferrios Sep 23rd 2009 12:58AM
mike schramm beats all
Sedirex Sep 10th 2009 9:22PM
Except for when he doesn't proofread his articles or read the comments on them. He also regularly proves himself to be incompetent on the podcast. Schramm's without a doubt my least favorite Wow.com writer.
Cody Sep 10th 2009 8:02PM
Salramm wins thanks to strategic use of his ghouls AND he gets the achievement because he made an Abomination.
Shock Sep 10th 2009 8:05PM
Salramm hands down. He'll keep his ghouls out and maybe get lucky and one of them will get sacrificed. He blows it up along with 1-2 others and kills the channelers. While she's still doing Ritual of the Sword he'll heave some shadow bolts before summoning more ghouls in the action. She'll come back down he'll used Twisted and Steal Flesh on her to take her health down.
Heck let her have the abomb in the back of UP too. Salramm can pull off The Incredible Hulk Achievement while he's standing around for the hell of it.
Saoul Sep 10th 2009 8:11PM
Salramm all the way. He's the creation of an Unstoppable Force hitting the Immovable Object. You do not have a boss with a greater arrangement of abilities and expertise in them. Had those specific abilities been played with by an actual Player, he would rival Raid Bosses.
Of course, as to his fighting, he would deminish her, Bolster his forces, and decimate her hard and fast. I completely agree with another one of the comments as well, he could do the "Incredible Hulk" Achievement with ease.
Fierna Sep 10th 2009 8:11PM
Ghouls are not smart enough to break him out of her paralysis spell. Salramm dies skewered by Svala's blade while his ghoul minions gnaw on a nearby peasant.
Kyle Sep 11th 2009 3:23PM
nomnomnom
silly ghouls
Clbull Sep 10th 2009 8:15PM
Its a simple fight, just do Ritual of the Sword to Salramm.
Svala Sorrorgrave wins, end of. Not even sure the ghoul minions could get Salramm out of it.
Scrabblet Sep 12th 2009 9:15AM
Obviously Svala. Ritual of the Sword on Salramm=no ghoul control, ghouls look at shiny thing, everyone want shiny thing, ghouls kill themselves for shiny thing, Salramm dies THE END ^.^!
Ghrall Sep 10th 2009 8:28PM
The first time Sally gets sacrificed and the Ghouls are too stupid to free him he goes down. Chalk this one up to Ms. Sorrowgrave.
Meethan Sep 10th 2009 8:32PM
Mike Salramm the Fleshcrafter unfortunatly goes down.
Sylva has Lich King infused power, and can freaking fly. If they went into combat she could easily take down a silly necromancer. This guy doesn't even have a poper weapon to duke it out in such a combat. On neutral terrain, this poor sucker can't even rise ghiuls as there are no bodies. This one bad woman takes him down with her superior strength, skill, and style.
Svala Sorrowgrave takes the round.
Omegan01 Sep 10th 2009 9:03PM
^ this.
Oznak Sep 10th 2009 9:25PM
Because a necromancer who was in Stratholme aiding Mal'ganis isn't going to be backed by the Lich King, right? They're both the Lich King's creatures though, so lorewise, why on earth would they be fighting?
In that even though, I would say Salramm's minions break him out, and enable him to beat Svala, which seems to be the main point of contention.