Tried to get into Wow again a few months back. Previously I've levelled a mage to max around the end of vanilla and the first expansion.

It's important to note that I never got above level 45 or so this time around. I realize that many of the things I criticize are possibly fixed or no longer an issue. Keep this in mind - please understand that I was unable to get further because I was feeling underwhelmed, bored, and like I was wasting my time.

Levelling isn't fun now. There's no challenge. I can see that the exploratory element is gone now when I've done it once, but all the enemies die if I as much as look at them. Levelling has always been about an arbitrary time limit until max level, but right now a toddler slamming the 1-2-3-4-5 buttons could do it and never really die. Playing the game at this difficulty makes me feel like my brain is rotting away. De-gearing for a challenge doesn't feel acceptable.

The dungeons aren't fun anymore: The tank doesn't need to hold aggro because the mobs die so fast. The Priest doesn't need to think about its mana because everything, including bosses, dies so fast. The DPS can go full out because, even if they aggro, the mobs are dead so fast that you simply don't need to care. There are all these mechanics and they feel useless. A semi-skilled group in Vanilla COULD fail in a dungeon, even their first. There's no failure now. The dungeons are a sight-seeing show with an endless drip of pop-ups and bars slowly going up, with a reward at the end which unfortunately it useless due to the lack of difficulty of the content.

The levelling choices aren't fun. There's not enough of them. I don't feel unique, I can't think outside the box and the box is... so incredibly small. For me, carefully building a talent-tree and my character is fun. If some people can't handle it or don't like it, thats fine - implement a "simple mode" where the choices are automated for them. But don't punish me for wanting to use my head.

For me, this game is at its current state absolutely impossible to get back into due to the lack of challenge and choices in it's early state. I can't sit around for whatever arbitrary time it takes for me to get to max level and gear up, I'm a grown adult and I value my time - I can play other things that give me the experience I want, and I will.