Sorry, long post. All my personal preferences.
1) I want more fun in classes. Bring the “Bring the player not the class” mentality back.
I’m going to go against popular opinion and say that “bring the player not the class” is the way to go. It has brought us the best class design of MoP. If retail wants to stay fast paced, then it’s the way to go. I think recent dialing back on this philosophy didn’t bring anything good in particular, it just took away fun from some classes in order to make other classes seem more unique, dried up the class design. I as a player want to be able to single target, AoE, cleave on my own, have an option to spec into a dot on my attack, or have a reliable speed increase/gap closer on my character. Obviously some classes should have stronger versions of some tools, but higher variety of tools should be available to most.
The classic approach of “bring the class” diversity works better because second to second combat is not so important there and overall goal usually is what is more interesting. For instance, I don’t even have an urge to install a DPS meter on classic, because I get enough fun in the knowing that we’re successfully completing content. I have no problem not cleaving at all, because I enjoy downing a single mob and two mobs are a challenge. I’m not so hyped about my personal performance so much, because the game is perceived as a team work.
2) I want to feel specialized in what I do. I want my character become stronger in the content that I do because I do it.
This is actually a huge point that encompasses content, gear, pvp and professions. Right now in retail anything that I can do doesn’t feel special, because nothing gives any special benefit to my character. There is no choice, or the choice doesn’t matter. Everything rewards everything.
For example, previously huge pride of raids was Tier sets. Now all gear is just stat sticks.
Another example - PvP - used to have PvP set with its own stats which made you feel special from those who were doing only PvE content. And vice versa - in PvE gear I felt much more powerful against the NPCs than in PvP gear. This specialization feel made the game for me. I want this back. Right now everyone wears some bunch of stat stick gear that isn’t distinguishable. Convenient, but ultimately not fun.
3) Make professions matter.
Professions is another issue. I want to be able to be rewarded for extra time spent on a profession, be it a special recipe that is hard to get, but is super useful to everyone, or some form of a bonus to my character power. Maybe even bring back passive bonuses.
A lot of professions stuff was removed from gearing process. I’d like to have every slot enchant to come back, I’d like gem slots to be more guaranteed and colored.
I’d like my crafts to be useful somehow. Maybe as an alt catchup mechanic, maybe some items could be BiS twink or leveling items, or something like that
4) I want RNG to be gone. I’d like to be able to plan my rewards ahead. Spending currency on one specific item > getting 3 RNG items.
WoW is not Diablo 3, where a content can be repeated infinite number of times in short succession. In WoW when you’re not lucky with your reward it feels exceptionally bad. RNG of boss loot table is the maximum RNG there should ever be.
My most favorite time was in Wrath when I collected emblems of frost to buy ICC gear. It felt really good to buy a piece every several weeks, and then calculate how much time I need to buy the next piece, calculate currency gains etc etc.
Same with arena items - it felt so nice to finally complete a conquest set.
Right now it’s somewhat fun when any reward will be an upgrade (and even that is debatable with some slots) , but when it comes to filling in that one last slot, it’s very frustrating.
5) I want BiS lists to come back
One thing that I want to highlight that I don’t see highlighted - having BiS list actually makes those BiS items feel much more powerful, because every item will have a wisdom of the whole community behind it. Right now all pieces of gear are random and nothing really has the weight.
Besides that, it’s obviously more enticing to go over the list and feel done when you have it all. Getting RNG gear feels like wandering in the darkness not really knowing if I’m in the right spot or now.
These are for someone special.