I played for a year or so at release and have since re-upped for a month or two at each expansion, so I've watched the game evolve over time. My biggest complaint is how very much Blizzard has trivialized just about everything. In the beginning, two same-level mobs meant a tense fight, and three was a death sentence. Orange quests were hard. Group/elite quests were absolutely out of the question. Oh, and getting level 60 was a serious accomplishment. During my recent playthrough of Cataclysm, I started a Shaman from level 1 and hit 85 in far less time than my first character took to hit 60. I easily solo-d every elite 5 man quest (with one exception). There was never any danger, worry, excitement, etc.

It's not just combat and leveling either, though. Another good example I can think of is loot. Gone are the days of comparing gear and arguing over stats. Theorycraft is basically dead. Also, not only is it easy to tell which gear is better, but the game now actually enforces that. You can't even queue up for an instance you don't have the gear for.

Anyway, those are just a couple of things I can think of right off the bat, but the issue seems to persist through every aspect of the game. It's nice that annoyances have been removed and convenience factors have been added, but in many cases they've been added at the price of the game's soul. Difficulty creates community and overcoming difficulty gives a sense of accomplishment, and I think that's something that's sadly lacking from WoW today. It definitely feels like a game at the end of its lifetime that's trying to open up every bit of content to every possible player with a minimum of resistance. I definitely do not plan on trying out this latest patch or purchasing Land of the Pandas.