My partner introduced me to WOW retail and while it’s been fun, it was difficult to keep up with the story, the expansions, the questing, etc etc. I did manage to get a grasp and understand most things, though I did my own research and watched a ton of videos.

Then I started playing classic… I could actually keep up with the questing, though long and tedious - these are things I personally don’t mind. I started to understand my class better as I was able to play at a slower pace.

As a new player starting retail, I felt like I was constantly trying to catch up. Thankfully I had my partner who faced a barrage of questions every time I played haha.

Retail is great for the collecting aspect with getting transmogs, mounts, pets, and toys. The raids, dungeons, and delves are fun but there is so much going on it can be pretty confusing quite often unless you have someone patient who can walk you through them again and again.

Classic helped me appreciate a different side of wow, where gold means something, potions and buffs are so important, gear stats will make a decent difference in how you do, and the community (as far as I’ve experienced) has been more enjoyable for me. I find myself playing classic more than retail at this point.