Is the return of BRK necessarily a fact? I just clicked the hyperlink above and it doesn't look like the BRK column has posted anything new since Nov. 2007.

That's what it says in the it little blurb at the beginning of the article. It sounds like he'll be back next week with more articles.

Personally, I'm looking forward to BRK's return. If he's such a hack, why aren't you writing a column instead of him?

No need to get personal, George. I think some of us are just more fond of Karasek's writing style, and the emphasis on friendly advice, that's all.

BRK just seems a little too bloated with inside jokes and an almost obsessive eye for stats - you know, having fun vs. "pwning n00bs."

Besides, how do you know we didn't apply to become columnists when they put out the call for applications last year?

Badger, saying you applied actually just proves my points. Rejection.

Besides, isn't reading comprehension lacking a bit here? The header clearly indicates that this new column will continue to be written by Brian (Kudos to you Brian, thus far you've done great justice to early hunter leveling) while the end game/raiding hunter column will be written by BRK.

Where's the conflict? Why the angst? Jealousy always springs to mind.

George, I'm not sure why you believe critics must be better at something than the thing they're critiquing, but can I recommend you take a few logic classes and then go read a newspaper and watch a few news or sports programs for a while? Because the sad lack of comprehension is a bit creepy.

BRK is a hack, and if you read the hunter forums you'll see that many hunters agree with this, including the top-listed arena hunters, raid veterans, and other players who are familiar and comfortable with their class and do what they do very well.

In other words, the hunters that know better think he's a tool. So why is WoW Insider employing someone who's fundamentally incapable of doing the job he's hired for?

George,

In the timeless words of Walter Sobcek: "Caaaalm doooooown. You're being very Un-Dude."

All I said was that I like Brian's style over BRK's style, and I tried to be specific about why, because I thought you were interested in additional details. I did say he was "over-rated" earlier, but you're right: the purpose of his column and the purpose of this column are two totally different things. My bad. "Apples and oranges," anyone?

As for "rejection," I didn't actually apply, and I never said that I did. My point was that you never know who's actually tried, in the past, to meet the challenge you issued in your post - that is, writing for one's self when he/she disagrees with a semi-professional writer or Blogger. Additionally, why are you assuming that my comments are based solely on jealousy? As I said, I just don't like BRK's style as much as Brian's. It's a matter of personal preference, and in a way, it also reflects my preference for regular PvE gameage (not a real word, I know), rather than focusing on "endgame" content, which BRK seems to do often.

Finally, why do you have to get so personal? I'm not illiterate. If you scroll down a little you'll see that I did actually catch Brian's synopsis of the new featured column; I just happened to have missed it on my first reading. (If you're really meticulous, you can also compare the times, and see that I caught myself before you referred to "reading comprehension" above.)

Not all of us are looking to argue or to berate the authors.

Pucelle, with all due respect, BRK has done more to help develop the hunter community from a slobbering bunch of huntards into contributing members of raids than any of the 1337 hunters you're talking about.

So if you're asking whether I want someone with genuine interest in and talent for developing hunters writing about how to approach the end game in an entertaining way over some teen that obsessively reads elitistjerks, then yes. Yes, I do.

Badger, my apologies if my rants seemed aimed at you. They shouldn't have been. I'm taking issue with Rich's completely unproductive "BRK sux" comments. It's not contributing anything to the conversation.

Perhaps that's part of the point. While there are many people that play hunters that disagree with him, they don't directly discuss their point of view with him, opting instead to criticize him from afar. As a community, we shouldn't be afraid to discuss this anywhere it comes up and try to educate each other than attack each other personally.

"BRK is a hack, and if you read the hunter forums you'll see that many hunters agree with this, including the top-listed arena hunters, raid veterans, and other players who are familiar and comfortable with their class and do what they do very well."

Raid Veterans:
Does my opinion as a raid veteran count? I disagree with them. I admit, i'm mostly a druid and my hunter is only a Kara-running alt. Still, i think i can safely say that name-calling like you find on the WoW forums is no match for solid data like you find in his blog. There actually -are- posts of value on the forums, but what you described is merely fruitless name-calling.

Top-rated Arena Huntesr:
I'm pretty sure what the "top-listed arena hunters" say is quite thoroughly irrelevant, as BRK's columns are generally about PvE, not PvP. I could call V'Ming a hack (just as an arbitrary example -- i don't actually dislike his stuff), but my credentials as a druid don't lend much to my authority on the subject of warlocks. I could call Big Bear Butt a hack if he starts talking about PvP, but my experience as a raider means nothing when it comes to PvP, so i'd be entirely baseless to do such a thing. The same goes for "arena hunters", as you put it.

Other People:
Casual players? Priests? Why would they get involved? I think you're making that part up.

My Opinion:
I find his writings to be very informative to those who didn't do the painful research of reading the WoW hunter forums before BC, like i did. It's much easier to absorb his advice on the BM spec and general hunter tactics (he doesn't go into detail on SV and MM), backed up by data and instructional videos, than it is to work out what the hell hunters are supposed to do by reading the flaming pit of feces that are the WoW forums.

Some people are offended by his writing style. Why? Are they upset that he would come at them with data that doesn't agree with their bias and then present it without obeisance and temerity? Do they think themselves worthy of greater respect because they hold dominance over outdated facts? Do they think he insults the SV and MM specs, despite the way he completely /doesn't/? Are they afraid their e-peens are going to shrink when they see another WWS post with his damage output in the number one position?

Maybe what's most offensive is that he's correct, and they just can't stand to see someone be correct about something they don't want to hear.

Seriously, i haven't heard a good argument against BRK's writings. The closest anyone has come so far is, "he uses 'we' instead of 'i', and that's unusual, so i hate it". Most of it is just "BRK sux".