Best of WoW.com: December 2009
by Allison Robert 
Dec 31st 2009 at 8:00PM
And there's a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willy waught,
For auld lang syne.
December brought us patch 3.3, Icecrown Citadel's new raid and 5-mans, "Rocket bare!", and the endless joy of the new Dungeon Finder. I think we can all agree that 2009's going out on a high note, and that this is one of the best patches Blizzard's ever released.
Arcane Brilliance: How to be a good PUG mage: "It was like some kind of idiot convention, and I was the keynote speaker."
Totem Talk: On unique gearing and gear consolidation: Rossi has mixed feelings on the benefits of gear consolidation, particularly because +spellpower mail is far better itemized for Restoration, and Enhancement shares gear with hunters, who don't want the same stats.
Official patch 3.3 confirmation and patch notes: Patch 3.3 went live on December 8th to universal acclaim, and the enormous popularity of the Dungeon Finder took everyone by surprise.
The lore of patch 3.3: A fantastic joint effort between Adam, Alex, and Sacco to bring you the background on how patch 3.3's story came about.
The Queue: A vote has been initiated to kick your dog: Yeah, it was a good edition of the Queue, but I'd have put it here anyway because the title was great.
Ready Check: Icecrown Citadel introduction quests: We got an endless series of questions from players on the new 5-mans; Gray undertook to answer them all.
How the WoW community is about to push the self-destruct button: Harsh but true words from Adam on the degree to which most reasonable people are utterly disgusted with the idiots infesting the forums. Unhappy with something in the game? Addressing the issue politely usually works better than working yourself into a frothing rage.
Why you don't have freedom of speech in WoW: The follow-up. Maybe we should start a constitutional law series on the site? Just a thought.
The single greatest thing that has ever happened in this game: Two words -- ROCKET BARE.
Ask a Faction Leader: High Shaman Rakjak: "Stop looking at Rakjak wife that way. She out of dwarf league."
Breakfast Topic: What kind of PUG are you?: I think this was the first article in which we (and commenters) noted the proliferation of "silent but deadly" PUG groups through the new Dungeon Finder.
WoW.com's top ten stories of 2009: We looked back over 2009 and picked out the issues that wound up getting the most attention from the community.
2009's drawing to a close, and we're wrapping up the most interesting articles we've published all year, one day at a time. Join us every day for the next twelve days with this year's best of WoW.com!Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Features
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dubb Dec 31st 2009 8:17PM
Don't you mean 'ROCKET BEAR'?
rawrawrawr Dec 31st 2009 8:45PM
May I direct you to http://www.wowwiki.com/Alamo? It's a vital part of Durid history.
Al Dec 31st 2009 9:03PM
If the first thing's anything to go by, you'll probably get downranked for not spelling like an idiot.
Al Dec 31st 2009 9:28PM
Bingo.
Oteo Dec 31st 2009 11:39PM
Cat durid is 4 fite!
Kadamon Jan 1st 2010 2:07AM
Once again, the explination must be consolidated. Properly.
ROCKET BARE IS 4 TANK & FLITE!
Mognet T Jan 1st 2010 5:57PM
At this point, I think "Don't you mean 'ROCKET BEAR'?" is becoming it's own anti-meme against Alamo. We all know the truth though, Rocket Bare is made of win.
Sintraedrien Dec 31st 2009 8:19PM
Worst of December 2009: Mike Schramm and The TURPSTER (he's that epic) departing the THE WOW INSIDER SHOW.
:(
megalamoniacal Dec 31st 2009 8:43PM
@Sintraedrien
We found out before the latest wow insider show that THE MIGHTY TURPSTER is simply taking a break from the show because of school. He's a very busy man and his schedule is just too hectic now for wow insider show and the other show he does. Sacco said TURP will be back but there is no word as to when. We can only encourage TURP in his schooling quest chain and provide him with the epic loots he needs to take down the school's Final Boss.
GO TURP!!!
Sarabande Jan 1st 2010 10:27AM
Ohh . . I'm glad to hear the Turpster will be back.
But I will miss Mike Schramm. He was often the voice of reason and while he obviously loved the game and Blizzard, he didn't let it become some kind of blind fanboy adoration. In that way, I think he spoke for many of us. I hope Wow.com continues with that. One of the things I loved about this site right away was that while they talked about the MANY MANY good things about the game (and really, most of it IS great!!), they were not afraid to say when things weren't perfect. I think that makes this a more credible site. If they say something is great, you know it's because that's how they feel, not because the management is pushing that perspective or because of any pressure from any other source.
I still love this site, but already miss Mike's voice here.
Azarizotza Dec 31st 2009 8:23PM
It was a good year.
Azarizotza Dec 31st 2009 8:28PM
Is it just me or is every link involving changing my profile broken?
Zantrix Dec 31st 2009 8:28PM
I clicked a link, but all it does is refresh the page. /complaint report
Colin Dec 31st 2009 8:48PM
This doesn't do anything...
cridz7 Dec 31st 2009 8:48PM
I agree.
Pemberton Dec 31st 2009 10:00PM
Tomorrow I want to see the top stories of January 2010.
artifex Jan 1st 2010 6:17AM
LFG H 2010 run. Please be geared and know fights.
CRITTER Jan 1st 2010 7:18AM
critters belong with critters .. thank you very much
Ruthar Jan 1st 2010 11:58AM
Agreed, the Dungeon Finder is the greatest tool to be implemented yet. Leveling alts is nice and fast too, as the tool lets you just dungeon your way through those annoying zones you dont want to see again.
JBluntz Jan 4th 2010 11:29AM
"She out of dwarf league." Seriously, I lol'd. again.
Also, Rossi hit the nail on the head with the post on the woes of shaman itemization... Do other classes have these problems? Are there fury warriors passing on plate pieces, going, "stupid blizzard, making DPS plate only a DK would wear..." ?