https:// venturebeat . com/2019/11/07/world-of-warcaft-shadowlands-looks-to-address-battle-for-azeroth-biggest-problems/
GamesBeat: How do players, lore-wise, go to the Shadowlands and come back?
Edwards: […] You’re actually the only thing alive that the Shadowlands has ever seen. They don’t see that. You are unique and special.
Is it a good thing for an MMO to treat its narrative like a single-player experience?
Well, I’m glad SOMEONE finally noticed.
It’s likely more personally engaging that way, so… probably?
Because they all do that? Technically, as far as lore goes, you and I don’t even exist. In-game, there is only a single Champion, or Hero, who may be questing with lesser Champions or Heroes. It’s been this way since Vanilla. 
No.
And I hated being called champion and hero everywhere I went in Legion.
Compared to the billions? of souls who have gone to the Shadowlands with no more connection to the mortal world, the “handful of adventurers” that we’ve been described for years is a drop in the bucket. Enough to qualify as “unique” or “special.”
dude, i bet we will become a titan then a voidlord at some point in this game, maybe a planet
I guess I didn’t actually answer though.
In my stupid opinion, Wrath of the Lich King marked the finality of this game as an MMO.
I think it’s more of an online only co-op game. I can play it alone or I can disappoint a group of 10-25 people.
There’s been solo content in the game since the day it launched.
Well, I did say it was a stupid opinion, sneezy cheese.
That’s gross.
SOme of the people replying are not answering the question directly but I’m still interested in hearing what people think.
So just like I am the only person to weild the one and only heart of azeroth I will also be the only person playing the next expansion? Wowzers this single player game sure has alot of really realistic NPCS in it!
P.S. we don’t need to feel special, that’s where alot of the problems of this game come from, we should be back to regular old adventurers that happen to stumble into interesting goings-ons not be the center of the entire plot.
The dev says, straight up “you are the only one”.
Which we already know isn’t true because Tyrande is confirmed to be going to Ardenweald. It’s an interesting look into their design philosphy, I guess.
I laughed way too hard at this.
You should’ve heard the other 9-24 people I disappointed.
sigh
So your options are to assume that dev was lying for nefarious purposes, or to consider that maybe his description simply wasn’t the best one he could have used at the time…since obviously the specific character we’re playing at the time is not “the only one.”
As for the narrative being a single-player experience…well…it is, right up until the quest text tells us to “gather your allies and storm the lair of x baddie to put an end to their baddieness.”
Well the question I’m posing isn’t where or not it’s like that. It’s clearly like that. The question I’m posing is whether or not it’s good for an MMO setting.
I’m failing to come up with MMOs that aren’t blatantly in their death throes and don’t do it.
Would the failure of those MMOs be attributed to whether or not the player was experiencing a power fantasy similar to Garrison Commander/Order Hall Champion/Champion of Azeroth/Maw Walker?
I’m personally inclined to think that MMOs fail on their gameplay. I’m interested in the perspective, though.