The problem is not so much faction imbalance as it is the honor system being implemented without BGs.
Deathsquads were a rarity in Vanilla. Right now, it’s the norm. I’ve been ganked by groups of 3-5 level 60s with T1/T2 every few minutes for the past week. I usually can’t get 5 mobs down before a squad spots me. It’s not even corpse camping, as they are different groups every time.
Honor without BGs has devolved the game into a gank fest. Not the organic random brawl it was intended to be.
In a nutshell, yes.
The faction disparity issue was always there. And Blizzard probably underestimated the way players would react with the implementation of Honor. By sweeping one problem under the rug early now, Blizzard now has 2 problems which are intertwined and much harder to resolve.
We also need to be aware of subsets within each faction. A 60-40 split favouring Horde looks fine on paper, but not when you consider the player subsets within.
Most Horde are pro PVPers, so you’ll find something like 80% actively engaged in PVP. Alliance on the other hand have a smaller number of players who are pro PVP (pro here meaning favouring active PVP, not skill), so you may find it lower at 60%. Now layer this percentage on top of the 60-40 split and you will find what’s happening on the ground far exceeds what the numbers are saying.
I’m using numbers to illustrate a point, do not quote them as official. Only Blizzard knows.
Welcome to WoW. A huge playerbase means that, whatever decisions Blizzard makes, someone, somewhere is going to be pissed. It is unavoidable. Arguably, Blizzard paying too much credence to complaints on the forums lead to the dilution of the main game over the years via the x-pacs, but that’s a separate topic.