The year is almost over, and that means it's time for us to take a look back, and pick some of the best (and worst) of Azeroth in 2006. This year saw a lot of innovation, a lot of whining, plenty of killing (both PVE and PVP), and almost saw the new expansion (we have to save something for next year, right?).

Last week, we took your nominations for ten different categories. Over the weekend, the WoW Insider staff deliberated. I'd like to say there was a lot of arguing back and forth, and even some throwing of items around the room at each other, but truthfully things went pretty smoothly (everyone agreed I was right). And so, without further ado, today we present the Server, Class, and Guild of the Year for 2006. Click the link below to see the winners.

And come back every day this week, as we award all the other categories, including Player of the Year, Best (and Worst) Blizzard Move of the Year, and even NPC Friend and Enemy of the Year.

Server of the Year: Medivh

The world of Azeroth saw something it had never seen before in 2006: Horde and Alliance working together. (OK, sure, we both hate murlocs, but who doesn't?) And when Blizzard announced the World Event leading up to the opening of the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj, most of the servers jumped into high gear getting the required items to "help the war effort." There were rumors of guilds working together, one faction gaining gear for another and selling it cheap through the neutral AH, and even a guild who held the Gates hostage. But the very first guild to open the Gates was Medivh way back on January 23. They worked hard, and the whole world of WoW looked to them to cover the world event. Of course, that meant they also had to deal with people invading from other servers, tons and tons of crashes, and lots of lag. But for finishing first, dealing with it all, and working hard together as a server, Medivh gets our Server of the Year award.

Class of the Year: Warlocks

Personally, I really liked Druids as the class to play this year (for the record, I don't have a druid or a warlock). Say all you want about late year druid nerfs, but no other class gets to play as a bird AND a tree (or a moonkin if you spec right, and that dance is worth a respec alone). But for sheer playing power, players agree: there's nothing like a Warlock. DoTs may not be as flashy as a Mage's spells, and demon pets aren't always as versatile as a Hunter's, but that darn Death Coil gets us every time. And since they added the Felguard to the Demonology tree, fighting a Warlock in PVP is like fighting a Warrior and a Mage at the same time. Throw in Banish, a spell that's just plain essential to most PVE raids, and Warlocks win Class of the Year for 2006. Watch out-- they ride single file to hide their numbers.

Guild of the Year: Death and Taxes

Patchwerk. Grobbulus. Gluth. Thaddius. The Four Horsemen. Sapphiron. All downed for the first time in the world on one server. By one guild. And they would have done Kel'Thuzad, too, if he hadn't run away screaming from them like a little girl. That right there is enough to win them this one-- seems they're just as inevitable as their name. But when one of their officers perfectly summed up what most guilds felt about the change to 25-man instances in the Burning Crusade, it only cemented DnT's rep as the best guild to play the WoW endgame this year.

Previously: Best of 2006 Nominations. More winners tomorrow, and all the rest of this week.

Tags: bestof2006, bestof206, class, deathandtaxes, guild, hot, medivh, server, warlocks, world of warcraft, WorldOfWarcraft, wow

Filed under: Warlock, Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, WoW Insider Business, Guilds, Blizzard, Features