For me what made it interesting (in early vanilla at least) was the mystery. More specifically, a lot of the areas just weren’t used for anything, and some were

For me what made it interesting (in early vanilla at least) was the mystery. More specifically, a lot of the areas just weren’t used for anything, and some were completely empty (Silithus, Deadwind Pass) You actually wanted to explore these places just because. It made the world feel more compelling. Later expansions, the areas compressed and every inch was covered in quest crap.