[swarnie_]

I'm sure i can go back to 2007 and find a few posts every expansion proclaiming a new low has been reached.

Maybe a game built around grind which withholds content until fixed dates in an effort to stretch the run-time out just isn't as popular as it was 10 years ago. Players have a load more options ("Services") competing for their attention now.

[trophycase]

Vanilla was the pinnacle of questing and total game experience, absolutely no question about that. TBC had a noticeable drop in questing quality that began the descent into the "series of tubes" it is now. Thankfully TBC added arena and great raiding. WoTLK was solid with good raids but Cataclysm was truly atrocious.