Both the characters and story were infinitely more engaging and better written than what we have now.
Shadowlands was pure and utter cringe with Sylvanus and Zovaal (LOL one of the worst written video game characters to ever exist).
Dragonflight was just boring.
Hopefully The War Within is a return to form.
I agree. I really enjoyed the writing in Mists.
Agreed. Rewatching the cutscenes with Voljin, Garrosh was amazing. We need Voljin and Varian back uggh. They should of never did it. Once I saw what they did to Varian in Legion, I was out of the alliance. lol Even doing Landfall campaign noticed Baine being kinda alpha, totally different than now.
The writing in MoP was pretty mature and well-structured with some interesting character developments. And yet some people claim that the storytelling has always been so convoluted and cringe as it was in SL and DF.
Me, in Krasarang, coming across a Pandaren pinning a Saurok by the throat against a stone.
“Tell me where the rest of the scouts are!”
“Ksshh you will die in the mud like your friend!”
…looks over, sees dead Pandaren nearby 
Pandaren promptly bashes Saurok’s head into the stone with a punch.
Sure didn’t see any of this in DF!
What Mists did really well was write zone stories around a small core of likable characters.
Taylor/Nazgrim’s crews, Taran Zu and his Shadopan crew, The Klaxxi, Chen and Li Li.
Every zone showcased a little squad on an adventure with you and they were all great.
In my opinion, MoP was always top tier all around. It’s honestly the last time I felt like they actually tried to write a meaningful story.
At the end of the Valley story when the Klaxxi break through the wall and everyone you met along the way runs down to defend their home, rallied by Chen, I was like where did this epic feeling go?? There hasn’t been a rallying sense of that in the game for me since the BfA launch trailer 
What’s funny is that the corny (see VERY) corny scene at the end of Valley was basically all of the friendship/family overcome together schmalts that Dragon Flight has been trying really hard to, just done one thousand times better.
It made sense! It was an epic climax to a long and developed story, and made sense. In DF they just smacked you with a hamfist that was so forced it made Ibuprofen’s stock rise from people trying to deal with the cringe.
It was more adult oriented. Which was nice because I’d wager to guess most wow players were adults back when it released 12 years ago. Lol
Been saying it for awhile. People just forget but it gets worse slowly. Like a frog boiling in water. The new writing is just horrifically bad.
Also the voice talent was top tier. Chen, Lorewalker Cho, Garrosh, Admiral Taylor, Taran Zhu. Basically every Mogu, Zandalari and Mantid character.
Everyone was just killing it.
It’s all a matter of personal taste. Personally I didn’t like Panda land, it’s my least favorite expansion, but I liked the Shadowlands story. For others their milage may difffer. This is not an objective evaluation, it is totally subjective.
Dragon flight is OK but the Centuars are obnoxious. The Tuskarr’s have a couple funny jokes about fishing and soup but after you’ve heard them a couple dozen times they get really old. I really like dragon flying and the major characters.
Story better but i hate the quest drops that has like a 10 percent chance to drop. Like the eels or snakes in the wilds. How can their head not be dropping everytime
yup. MoP was better written, and all it’s pieces felt like they fit together.
think about it: the pandaren live as happy a life as possible, because if they don’t, the sha will show up. they left the massive wall they had built as slaves up, because it keeps the mantid at bay. the yaungol are up north, doing… whatever it is they’re doing, the mogu are a defeated race, but could’ve returned at anytime- you get the idea.
the writing was like a bunch of puzzle-pieces: they all just slot together, and make one big beautiful picture.
unlike more recent expansions…
The wall doesn’t really keep the mantid at bay. The mantid do not, in their normal cycle, intend to destroy the Pandaren. Pandaren (and I assume Mogu before them) play a key role in the mantid life cycle.
The whole social darwinistic nightmare that is their society revolves around flinging their young at the wall in a swarm so the weak die. They’re only threatening to actually breach the wall in a meaningful way now because of the Sha.
It’s all kind of awesome and well thought out.
Xuen voice actor gives me chills. love it.
I would say that this is generally true. But logic errors in storytelling, as well as the lack of proper explanations and character development are things that are not really subjective.
The problems with SL and DF aren’t things like “I don’t like character x” or “I hate that this character died”, but much more the chaotic and illogical story development.
Got any examples?