I am at level 44 right now on a PvE server that my (real-life) friends are one. I have not played in four years. I prefer RP-PvP servers, but I just walk around with my PvP flag on and I still get the occasional world action.
I'm not disagreeing, but I'd like to point out that Blizzard put nearly all of those things in~game to address player complaints - Many driven by the "need" to reconcile PvE and PvP aspects of the game.
* Multi-specing (pick a specialization and go with it, no two-build bull crap, everyone can be a holy priest and shadow priest with a click of a button. I want the old system back where you had to pay crap-loads of gold to switch)
This was a *huge* complaint in the game by PvP~ers: They'd need one build and set of gear to be competitive in Battlegrounds, and a completely different build/spec and set of gear for PvE
(Raiding, really - Surface quests are equally trivial, regardless) Dedicated PvE~ers didn't have that problem, but appreciated the flexibility
(i.e. "I can heal, if necessary"). Plus you have to remember it used to be extremely difficult
(or time consuming, at the very least) to quest or grind as a Tank or Healer because your damage was so low.
Hard~Core PvEers were a bit of a special breed, since it used to be common among highly progression minded Guilds to have individuals sitting outside of Raid Instances on standby so the Raid Leader could swap players and classes in and out of the run for different fights. Blizzard viewed this as a problem, since this behavior often forced individuals into playing as some kind of Raid~Fodder based on Class/Role, rather than being able to participate fully.
I do think it's been made too easy, though. Especially since Tanks and Healers can now do reasonable amounts of damage in their primary specs. But one could also argue that - if you're going to do it, then *do* it.
*Map markers that point you where you need to go kill the incentive to explore
This is a recent addition - Mods to do this became available in BC and were commonplace by WoTLK.
*Cross-realm battlegrounds and dungeons kill the sense of community and make it more difficult to meet new people. Most people I met were folks I quested with in dungeons, how I found my old guild, etc.
*Being able to join random dungeons from anywhere in the world kills any incentive not to just farm instances, thus fewer people questing in the world.
I agree - The complaint was that
..."It's too hard to find a group/tank/healer in Trade, please make it easier.... Obviously, if you are/were a Tank or a Healer, then you were in the catbird seat (still are, really), but as a Damage Dealer it really was difficult to get a group unless you had personal contacts. Also, many players (myself included) either don't PuG at all. Or will only do so when they can't get a guild run.
The Dungeon finder clearly solved that issue by automating the process, but the downside is the social pressures that used to serve to weed out the asshats are no longer in existance. Act like an idiot in front of strangers you'll never see again?? Easy!!!! Fun!!!
Act Like an idiot in front of people on your server!?!?! Well -
We Know Who You Are And Where You Live..
Regarding questing in the open world - It's been established that overworld questing gets abandoned once enough of the player base gets geared enough to Raid.
*You can have a toon on both factions on PvP servers now, no sense of real rivalry.
I agree with you on this one - I think it's stupid.
*Hyper-inflation has set in, Blizzard needs to make more money sinks to get gold out of circulation
More agreement, though it's arguable that Money Sinks really solve the problem, as opposed to adding pressure to gouge your fellow players in the Auction House to get the gold to pay Blizz for the money sink they put in game. At the moment, the expansion is fresh and it's normal for egregious levels of inflation while the more aggressive players get geared and get their tradeskills completed. On the positive side, simply running regular dungeons for a couple weeks will see you pretty much raid ready from drops and badge gear. So you can choose to avoid the AH if you don't mind a little grinding. In a few more weeks, prices will inevitably decline since demand for BoE gear and crafting mats will fall as the number of players able to farm them rises.
Oh - Walking around flagged on a PvE server is a very different bag from being on a "real" PvP server. On many of those, griefing lowbies is the primary reason some people play. Granted, some players actually enjoy the challenge of completing quests in the face of unbeatable
(at your level) opposition. Some might accept that they have to wait until some stupid hour in the morning to find any NPC's alive so they can get/receive quests. Others may simply find a quiet corner and grind mobs to level. I 'grew up' on one
(leveled as a Protection Warrior on Black Dragonflight), back when level 60 was the cap. I can handle a (reasonably fair) fight, but eventually I transferred because I disliked people's attitudes even in~Faction and in~Guild. Over the summer, I tried to roll an alt on BDF again.... Gave up after spending the better part of a day being chain~ganked by level 80's. Damned near literally unable even to move or rez without being 1~shot again.
Competitive Open World PvP may still exist in some places. But on many servers it's the exception, rather than the rule.