Generally speaking, I completely agree with the basic sentiment that for those who like playing alts for whatever their reasons may be, this game has become far too time consuming per character. I see that as the basic problem overall.
I think the design team needs to spend time reviewing this issue and implement solutions to it that do not in any way hurt or compromise the game play experience but rather improve it by making the enjoyment and development of alt characters along with a main a satisfying and doable experience for the average person who has a full time job, family to spend time with and other interests besides WoW. This does not mean the game has to be watered down to the extreme of ruining an engaging, fun experience that can keep one playing year after year. It’s all about finding a balance between enough variety of interesting and fun things to do and reasonable amounts of time spent to have multiple characters who are not hindered from attaining reasonable goals for them such as full crafting capability.
At this point, I find it far too time consuming to cover all crafting and I don’t think that should be the case. I don’t think pathfinder should be a thing for previous expansions once a new one ships. I don’t think crafting recipes and mats should be locked in group or raid content at all. On that last point, what you can make should not compete with the best group or any raid content either. If you are not doing that content, you do not need that gear but it would be nice to make low end epics if only in color purple frankly, for end game quest content and entry level gearing for group play.
Those are just a few basic suggestions I toss out as simple ways to make the game more alt friendly again without compromising the end game at all for mains.
Of course, all MMOs by design are loaded with various repetitive grinds but I think WoW has gotten out of hand with these for a game that has so many different activities to pursue at this point (theme park) and a player base that largely loves playing multiple characters.
Ultimately, if the time to get anywhere in the game for the average person with a life outside of it becomes too much, the player population will slowly but surely dwindle because there are only so many people who can or will spend the ridiculous number of hours it takes to actually get a crew of 120s (at this point) with full crafting capability, flight and a main who raids even LFG. Never mind any fun alts who just gather and sell.
As for the money sinks, the elephant in the room is that 5 million gold mounts (check the inflation there since the previous two expansions!) are the obvious result of WoW tokens being the new clandestine form of loot boxes. The only difference is, the players make the loot and the publisher just takes a cut on the sales. The tentacles into player wallets are just the same in any case.
Somebody may come along and chastise me for saying some or all of this no doubt. They may inform me that they can do it so therefore it certainly is doable. Well, yes it is doable. That doesn’t make it a reasonable thing for the majority of players to embrace, the state of the game as it is now. Thus you see this recurrent theme complaining about it.
This is a legitimate complaint at its core without picking apart which particular items are discussed. The whole game needs to be toned down time requirements-wise or it really will bleed player base slowly but surely.