Since Vanilla. I can remember well the gap between the introduction of the Honor System for PvP and the release of the first battlegrounds - a time of utter carnage in Hillsbrad, Arathi, and Barrens. 
Playing since Mid-Late Wrath. I still play because I enjoy WoW. Posting on this toon as this was my first ever WoW toon, not played on my Horde this expansion yet though.
Was herb and ore farming as brutally awful back then as I imagine it was?
I started in Wrath, some time before LK was downed for the first time.
I try not to think too hard about that question… 
I first played during 1.6 era (Blackwing Lair), but I did not get to end game. I returned very quickly to Ultima Online because I was already 5 years into that and things were getting spicy in the champion spawn guild wars, of which I was an officer of a primary belligerent on Great Lakes server.
I returned during 3.3 era (Fall of the Lich King) and got to max level, but only did heroic dungeons. Stayed for all of Cata and cleared all raids heroic, stayed for MoP through to the end of 5.4 era (Siege of Orgrimmar) and cleared all raids heroic.
I returned again for 6.2 era (Fury of Hellfire), cleared all WoD raids heroic in the final patch waiting for Legion. I stayed through to the end of 7.3 era (Shadow of Argus) and cleared all Legion raids heroic.
I returned for 9.0 and have mostly played through to 9.1. I plan to play 9.2 as well. In shadowlands I have not raided, I have focused on doing fairly casual Mythic+ keys as my end game.
All calculated, I have played through 17 raiding seasons and progression raided heroic or higher in 13 of them. I have purchased 6 of the expansions, but 2 of them I waited until they were deeply discounted.
When I am not playing WoW I play Guild Wars 2 and Elder Scrolls Online. I have maintained very refined end game characters in both of those games through most of their eras. All 3 games have small shortcomings that greatly annoy me, and they’re all things that one of the other 2 do better.
I started playing WoW toward the beginning of Wrath, when a college roommate who played suggested I try it. Had never been much of a video gamer before then, but I made an undead warrior and was almost instantly hooked!
I’ve taken one large break, during which I played other MMOs (and still do). Quit halfway through the first raid tier of MoP and didn’t come back until the last patch of Legion. What keeps me playing now is collecting mogs and such, as well as raiding and running m+ with my friends.
OMG, get a grip. It’s not that serious. Not talking to you, anymore. You’re the one making an accusation with no evidence, not me. If you need proof, that information is available to you, and I was pointing it out to you. Not saying you have to, but you’re the one pointing fingers calling whoever (you didn’t mention any names) as liars (or that they’re lying, whatever structure fits your preference). And, I merely expressed that I believe them because I (personally) did the work that you’re refusing to do and can confirm there are truth tellers, here because I (personally) checked. Not sure what your issue is, and why you came swinging in here and calling other posters liars (or, that they’re lying) while admitting you didn’t actually check (as in expressing to me your baffleness to even check). Done with you!
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I can confirm (at least the time this poster posted it), this poster has the tabard achievement they’re talking about. Placing them in the vanilla (at least the end of it, anyway) timeline of things.
Too much incoherent rambling in that wall of text to even try to dissect some semblance of intelligent dialogue.
Started May 2005. Took a break for half of TBC, most of Cata, part of MoP, and most of BFA.
This is the first character i created the day i started in Jan 2007.
As for what keeps me playing. If it wasnt for classic TBC. I would have quit
long ago.
Alternatively, you can still go on to Warcraftrealms,com and look up your character history. Not sure where they get their data but it seems pretty accurate; it shows two of the guilds that I was in on Windrunner, where I started this character.
Not only that but if you look at my rare mount collection im sure you will be surprised…
I started playing on launch day, I was a rogue up until Legion.
Played since launch in ‘04! Too much but never enough. No unsubscribe breaks, only different commitment availability due to life kids, deploying etc….
Mooncloth bags, waiting to kill Hogger, Dm/VC runs, collecting talent points, Gnomer dagger that let you breathe under water (sorry rogues), mind controlling ppl running down the chain for to BRD/MC into the lava, no summoning stones, getting too close to Tauren Mill, AQ Gates no I didn’t ring bell), Benediction quest line, Hunter bow quest for Rhok’delar, Longbow fo the Ancient Keepers, Atiesh -39 splinters, server reputation, Key for UBRS door, Pally/lock mounts (Ghost mushrooms anyone?), “ one blue per run”, leveling weapons skills, reagents, seeing Ashes of Alar Drop, Druid flight form quest chain (real BC), flying on a drake for the first time in shadowform, MoP wings, anticipating Legion class hall mounts and so on….
We all have our memories. I started at 20 and WoW is in my blood. Thanks for the trip to nostalgia lane 
I’m doubtful we’ll ever see stuff like this again. Especially in a world where people expect Pathfinder / Flying to eventually be enabled for most major zones.
Yeah, Exile’s Reach is a lot of fun and feels very “Warcraft”.
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this seems a tad confusing to me, simply because achievements didn’t exist in Vanilla… though I started in 2007, my earliest achievements are Oct 2008.
I’ve been playing since the unstoppable force hitting the immovable object caused 36 hour AV matches to be a regular occurrence.
I’ve been playing since December '04, though I did take a month or so off during Pandaria. I did cancel my subscription and have a few months left so that run might be coming to an end when it finally runs out.
I subbed two weeks before BC launched. Technically I’ve been here for every single expansion though I don’t claim to have really played vanilla. I’ve been here for every single expansion and BFA/SL have pushed me away to the point I’m just plain bitter at wow. I hate what it’s become. The past three times I’ve resubbed I’ve only played a month and my break is longer and longer each time. I may never return after my sub ends this time.
An old BC Pally here! raises hand