you can progress your character ( not as fast as mythic raider ) in retail. Normal raids are easy. Heroic raids are also easy outside of week 1 end boss.
A soul? /10char
CLassic was full of little milestones that were not too far, yet no so near as to render them meaningless.
I enjoy the many little bits of social interaction that came from partying with people on the same server for a group quest, instance or whatever. I can’t put my finger on it, but knowing everyone else in the party I won’t ever see again really does change the social interaction. Frequently for the worse I felt, like how people like to be anonymous internet bullies.
Disclaimer: The following is my opinion and not to be taken as fact.
For me, I enjoy how simple Classic is. There’s not all these Classes, Races, extra Continents, etc. There’s just 4 factions for the Horde, and 4 factions for the Alliance. With the Horde having the unique Class the Shaman, likewise Alliance with their Paladins. It gave playing either side to be somewhat unique, in their own way.
They try it with the Races, in Retail, but Faction unique Class, I find more appealing than aesthetics. Obviously, the landscapes are different between Classic and Retail. A few landscapes come into mind: The Barrens, Thousand Needles, Wailing Caverns, etc. In Retail, the Barrens is geographically split in half due to Deathwing. In Classic, it’s not.
In Retail, the Thousand Needles is flooded, in Classic, it’s not. In Retail, the Wailing Caverns dungeon is this small cave, in Classic it’s gigantic! Not to mention, Retail streamline’s its Quests. In Classic, you gotta figure it out. Not to mention, you can get Red Quests.
It’s possible to do at such a low level, with a group, if you so desire. But clearly, Red Quests were for “a later time”. Still able to pick them up, though. However, Classic has the Quest Cap. I think in Retail, that’s no longer the case.
Professions, actually mean something other than just Mounts (JC Panthers). Classic feels way more immersive, requiring Ammo, if you want to use Guns and/or Bows. Need a Fishing Pole for Fishing, Mining Pick for Mining, Skinning Knife for Skinning, etc. Where in Retail, that’s all null and void. I feel like my Characters have their own identity.
Instead of just another pixel, on my account. There’s no account-wide nonsense. I find it to be a pretty even playing field with the elimination of BoA Gear, In-Game Shop Items, or any other third party influences. I can go on and on about the major differences between Retail and Classic, but I think I’ve already made my point. There’s a clear distinction between Classic and Retail. And I much prefer Classic. Happy Hunting!
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I don’t disagree that it’s possible to do that and that it’s a meaningful progression path for many people. I’m just not into raiding any longer and haven’t been for a long time. I find more enjoyment and meaningful play by doing crafting to help guildies who raid and in doing non-Rated BGs. Gear stopped being a meaningful source of character progression for me as soon as Arenas were introduced. I now look toward other, non-gear-based, metrics to quantify my characters’ progression.
I don’t want to see them stop developing dungeons and raids like they do now; they’re doing a great job at it. What I would like them to do is take a lesson from Classic and make all the non-competitive stuff meaningful again too.
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You too. Off you go. Chop chop.
Once you reach 60, you can unsub from game lol.
For the first time since I started back in early Cata, I have a dedicated Tank, and a group to run with that wants me as part of actual progression on Alliance side.
I don’t have to switch factions, and I don’t have to solo.
Seriously the only thing I would want to import to Classic from Retail are Cosmetic and Rp related.
Transmog for the ability to truly customize your character’s appearance without sacrificing stats, and the Tongues Elixir for cross faction Rp.
The only other thing I like from Retail are customization related. Certain allied races. The DI Dwarves, and the Mag’har Orcs for example. Not the off ones like LF Draenei, or Void elves, although I don’t mind them in retail.
I like the High Elf models in Classic better than the ones in retail. They look more like blonde Nelfs with different hair styles.
Also professions in retail have been neutered compared to classic. Even back when I first started, it seemed that they were more fun than they are now. I used to love the little healing spell that went with Herbalism. I can’t even remember what it was called. I had it macro’ed to go off under me when i casted certain healing spells because it was pretty to see flowers grow at my feet while healing people. I know that was in Cata, and I do not know if it was in any earlier expansion, but i miss it. I used it on my main Priest, too. 
RIP
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Lots of abilities.
You play the class, not a spec. Locking you out of other things.
Organic social interactions.
A feeling of danger in the world.
More immersive.
Rewarding but not overdoing it to the point its expected with every task.
Exploration is rewarded with nodes, rare spawns, chests, etc.
WPvP.
Mounts only go 60 and 100 percent speed, no flying.
The lore is more interesting and well written than current retail.
Spell animations and effects look better.
A lot of the old animations look better. (Both subjective).
Money has value.
Having good gear makes you feel awesome, and makes others want to aspire to be good.
Journey not the destination.
Faction locked classes.
I could go on but yeah.
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Players…
People playing the game 
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Also, this:
Why Classic WoW? Storytelling
If retail had this, maybe, but still highly unlikely.
Personally, I love so much of the old world. Loch Modan is a beautiful lake, Ashenvale hasn’t got a giant volcano in the middle, Menethil isnt flooded etc. Alliance actually gets better over time as new, interesting characters pop up. Horde though, I think this is its peak. Its still shamanistic and true to WC3 values.
I also love how classic makes you walk for the first 40 levels. True, it can be annoying at times but it lets you appreciate the little things in every zone you visit and makes the entire world feel so much bigger. When you flew from one enemy to the next, everything felt smaller and less immersive.
Gameplay-wise, the challenge makes completing every quest much more satisfying. Its engaging and feels like an accomplishment, not just something mechanical you do to get to the next level. Also, because of the difficulties, the game pushes you to interact with others to progress. If you put in the effort, retail can be just as social. But in classic, its a survival mechanism and meeting and talking to all sorts of different people in group quests is terrific.
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My guild has been around for 15 years. Your argument is laughable. On retail everyone logs on to raid and then logs off. Classic is a completely different game.
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In the eyes of people who enjoy classic the answer is: nothing
There are 2 distinct camps of people. Nothing wrong with either one.
Just people who like different stuff.
Retail is a better game
Classic is a better world
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I think the core problem with Retail is that it’s too brainless, too safe, too procedural. Waaay too streamlined.
This isn’t an issue with RNG, rewards, or endgame. Classic has a heck of a lot more RNG than Retail. It’s the core gameplay that is the problem. Your character is built for you. Your resources are virtually unlimited. Quests are highlighted on the map. Mobs pose minimal threat. Anything that can be bought with gold is functionally worthless with very few exceptions. Professions are mostly useless.
All in all, Retail feels like the Diablo 3’s Adventure Mode while Classic WoW feels like a fleshed out MMO world.
Classic allows players to make mistakes, use bad builds, waste hours upon hours of time, and it is messy and unbalanced. There are all kinds of inconveniences and things that seem “pointless”, except it gives people self-generated goals. Most importantly, it gives people a reason to talk to each other. It’s just a better MMO all around.
Retail = All style, no substance.
Classic has me, retail does not.
That’s all that matters.
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While classic is orders of magnitude better than retail in my opinion, this is one of the most, if not the most, delusional things that retail haters post about. Classic’s end game content is not, and will not be anywhere near as difficult as retail’s end game content. It’s not even close.
If you are talking about the leveling process, pre-max level dungeons, profession grinds, and social challenges, I agree classic is so much more difficult in those respects. But if you are talking about the end game content, there’s no comparison.
But why do people play Classic then? Because this game has proven that difficult instanced content doesn’t make an MMO good. Everything else makes the game what it is: the talents, the character progression, the community, the world PvP, the professions, etc etc. End game content is just the cherry on top, where as in retail it’s the goal.
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Retail expansion zones need to be larger, with less hand holding. Less RNG, more talents, more spells, more abilities. Less homogenized classes. Require work to get materials, professions useful again.
Basically everything Classic is and retail isn’t.
They turned a historically desktop PC game into a mobile app, then didn’t understand why it bled players. Someone needs to do a business/sociological study of modern WoW and publish their findings on “how not to manage a successful product.”