The point of view in which the story is told isn’t the issue. It makes sense we only follow our own characters’ story. Saving Azeroth is fine. But when I say THE main character I mean that we are the sole thread that decides whether or not the world/universe is lost to darkness or not. We can absolutely defeat major characters without being the sole person to do it. I get they have chosen a different route but we don’t have to like it.
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I would argue that, at least with 8.3, we aren’t the sole person to do it. Like I said in an earlier post, we have the help of Mother and Magni and Wrathion and any other that helped. If you’re just talking about the final climactic shot, I think it’s fine for one person to have it. Just like Thrall apparently did (I saw the reference, but don’t know what it is). Now is just our turn in the spotlight.
I don’t think the proper execution is possible by the nature of the game being a shared world where you’re in contact with dozens of players at any given point in time.
The Chosen One storyline props the player up as the most influential character in the world. But this is the same storyline everyone gets. Your story is invalidated by the mere existance of another character with the same story. This is an example of oil and water mixing and it’s not going to work in a shared world MMO like this.
I think it works because you’re all doing the same quests yet I have not seen any MMORPG that demands every quests in the game be done in a group meaning the quests mostly ignored that multiple people in that same shared world are doing those same quests.
And since that’s the case, as far as the quest (and the player characters) are concerned, the other player characters are just like NPCs, and the story can focus on your player character (from your perspective) (regardless if “the chosen one” plot device is used).
It’s only when breaking the 4th wall that you know there are other players behind those other player characters.
It got cringier yesterday when I was finishing that quest fight where N’zoth tries to take over the heart of azeroth room. The fight was cute while I was on Demon form and in the cinematic for some reason there was that DH hunter female on Demon form during the whole cinematic… took me a few seconds to find out it was supposed to be me… lol they can’t even cringe my toon properly!!
Just allow the cringe to happen and it will only hurt for a second.
To say it’s breaking the fourth wall to acknowledge you are not the only player character in a shared and persistent world inhabited by other player characters is the most galaxy-brained thing I’ll hear all year.
And it’s only January.
Why? It’s just common sense. Either way, neither the story nor your character cares about the other player characters from your perspective.
It’s common sense to pretend that other player characters are non-player characters?
Who’s pretending? You (the player) know that there are other characters out in the world that are controlled by other players. Your character doesn’t know that. It’s irrelevant to your character and the story that your character is experiencing. You can run a dungeon with 4 friends or 4 strangers or solo and the story for that dungeon remains the same in each case.
That’s why I said earlier that your “shared world” only really matters in terms of gameplay, not necessarily the story.
I love how what you quoted says that is false.
Fun hydration game! Drink a bit of water every time this guy says cringe! Then spit it out when you realize this PANDAREN DEATH KNIGHT is calling everything cringe!
You’re explaining this to me as if it’s an absolute given that the single-player story has to be there.
It doesn’t.
Blizzard doesn’t have to craft the story in such a way that all other player characters are irrelevant. If it’s a shared world in gameplay, it can absolutley be a shared world in story as well.
Pretending that the player character’s story is the only one that matters is why this story is so discordant and this Chosen One treatment is starting to fall flat.
I’m not explaining to you whether or not the single player story has to be there. I am explaining to you that it is there and that it can and does work even in a shared world of an MMORPG.
And I am not talking about BfA either, because I experience it with this very character that I am using to post, doing quests starting at level 1. (Although I haven’t been playing with this character lately as I’m busy with my other character.) And going from what little I’ve seen from people playing Classic, it is there as well. So the single-player nature to the story has been there from the beginning in WoW from what I can see.
“bend over, relax”
Hmm I felt nice of being hero in the Legion. 
Well it actually stemmed from the reputation of artifact weapons, not me, and I still needed to fight together, and got help from legendaries and the titans in the end.
Which means I never felt I was ‘the one.’ I was a hero but I think I’m more like… kinda mercenary. An ace in the hole.
I belong to Paladin society, but in time of need my king summons me, and of course I gladly help him. 
But in bfa… I saw the cinematic that alts got the power and killed Nzoth with the beeeeeeam and it’s… um.
I’m still the ace in the hole but I don’t feel good. Meh
What’s the difference? I dunno
It’s very similar structure designed to kill the big bad boss.
Maybe it’s the difference in the reputation btw Ashbringer and Heart of Azeroth. Or maybe because I didn’t like what they did with Sylvanas already and hence became very skeptical. Haha.
No, you’re explaining that it’s present, and that’s not something anyone is arguing with.
My contention with the single-player narrative does not work in a shared world. Your argument that it works is based only on the fact that it’s there. My argument that it doesn’t work is based on the fact players are offering feedback in threads just like this that it doesn’t feel very good for the game to take control of your character and decide what their story is.
So, no. It doesn’t work. Blizzard can force it all they want, but it’s discordant and disconnected, divorcing players from their own sense of their character in ways that are becoming more and more unsatisfying.
The single-player narrative wasn’t really pushed until Warlords of Draenor.
People not liking a certain narrative does not mean it does not work.
It works because you can ignore the other players and the story would still work. You can boost a level 120 character and go back and start doing the quests from Classic to BfA as a solo player and the story would be intact.
You not liking it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. It means it’s not your preference.
No, it doesn’t.
“Hey, adventurer, there is a murder case in Westfall, go find some clues”
-finds clues-
“Ok, let’s follow up on these clues.”
“What’s that? Oh, I’m staying here to tell other adventurers to find some clues again.”
The story doesn’t work like that. It’s a single player narrative from the beginning.
When the story requires you to disassociate from other players like this, it doesn’t work.
At this point, I don’t know what you even define as ‘work’.
Not every player goes to Westfall. Not every player goes to Stonetalon Mountain.
Every player became the Garrison Commander.
Every player became the Order Hall Leader.
Every player became the Champion of Azeroth.
Every player is going to become the Riftwalker.
We’re talking passed one another.
I define work as the narrative flows from plot to plot. “Dissociating with other players” is not a concern of the story as the other players are never a primary concern outside of gameplay.
That’s a game play choice. And I’d say that’s a weakness of WoW’s story. Just like how dungeons and raids are optional when they’re part of the story.
But this is why there is a disconnect between players and story. The story assumes your character has done the previous narrative when the game play allows your character to skip story quests.