I’m curious to see how many veteran players would prefer to play the current version of WoW rather than play Classic WoW. I’m guessing many who loved the game enough to continue started playing in between Vanilla and Wrath.
If you’re a Wrath Baby or older, then come let us know if you prefer retail over classic.
I prefer classic but my problem is every time my guild sees me on classic they make a big stink about it lol
I prefer Retail.
I havn’t installed Classic at all, and have no plans to, so technically I’m playing retail more, despite not logging in more than once a week (maybe) nowadays.
I thought I’d be stoked about Classic, but I actually ended up preferring mainline.
Vanilla player here - yeah I prefer retail. Vanilla was good times but been there done that.
I like my drake mounts 
and transmog system
Edit: if there ever is a tbc classic - i will probably play it. I’d still prefer retail and would only indulge casually - but I would play it.
I was very excited for classic and got to level 28 on my main, just couldn’t find the will to continue. The running to and from everywhere got too boring for me. I get pulled into classic every so often but end up quitting around that level.
I play both. Classic only has a few hours of content a week once you have your toon fleshed out. Retail is the same way but I am barely playing it since no content till 8.3.
Started in Vanilla. Quit in Cata. Came back in Legion. Wished I had just not come back and waited for Classic to launch.
Is Classic perfect? No. It has it’s own problems. Like being able to walk away when you are bored with it without any fear of missing out.
Do I need to log in on my main today? Well not if there isn’t a raid or a dungeon that I need to do. So I can just jump on an alt and enjoy playing it without the need to bump my neck level or get a better essence in order to compete.
It’s like retail but without having my hand held along a list of chores that I don’t really have any interest in doing.
Been there, done that with Classic… No reason to go back. Then again I’m not the type to dwell on the past.
This exactly, a lot of my friends jumped ship to Classic so I played with them a bit, but we all got burn out around the same time and have come back to retail.
Edit:
What the heck, it removed the quote and who I was replying to?
I started right when BC came out. But I prefer retail easily, it’s not even close. Classic has some good points and I respect it, tried it for a little bit, but I don’t want to go back there again. Retail is the better game for me.
Exactly this. I had an amazing experience and time in vanilla. But even if the game is 100% perfectly replicated, Blizzard can never replicate the people I was with and the time I had as someone who had never played an MMO before.
I did level a character on Classic just far enough to play Blackfathom Deeps again, which was my favorite dungeon until I saw Stratholme. It was exactly the same… …but it wasn’t the same without the same group of friends I had before. Pretty much I haven’t logged into Classic since that.
I am sticking to classic. I have lot’s of things to do, focusing on that.
I guess you could call me a cata baby. I’ve played on and off since vanilla but never set foot in a raid or arena until I finally hit max level in cata so yeah. Right now I’m enjoying classic more than retail. I enjoy mythic raiding on retail but I seriously dislike the steep barrier of entry in neck level grinding and essence farming necessary. WoD, for all its shortcomings, was a great expansion for raiding. Might sound weird but I like being able to raidlog each week. I can do that in classic, and when I do log on I can do stuff I want to do and don’t feel like I’m being compelled to do so.
I think this might actually be the biggest turn-off for a lot of retail players. Not being guided like a heat seeking missile towards their next obligatory goal. It leaves a lot of people spinning in circles unable to make up their mind and just giving up.
Right now i am farming Deadmines to get all the best gear from it. On my shaman i have made list of gears i need from shadow fang keep and BFD and gonna start it soon.
Plus i am loving the community part. So far lots of people joined me on questing when i advertised in the world channel. its fun to play with people.
Lots of things to do…that why i don’t want blizzard to rush on releasing next phase. Keep it slow 
Right. And a lot of the stuff I see regarding retail players talking down classic and vice versa just seems to be a complete disconnect from the fact that they’re different games entirely, catering to almost entirely different audiences. Personally I enjoy both, just like I said, not a huge fan of the steep requirements to even get started with mythic raiding.
I prefer retail. I miss meaningful professions and traveling to dungeons and a few other smaller things but that’s mostly it. I would maybe play TBC as it was again but I can’t say I would for very long.
Retail is just better and works better with the various patch changes and hitfixes that have been added to RL.
Still playing and prefer Retail.
Can’t play without all those QoL improvements!