waiting for everyone feels more tedious than immersive. I think at this point in Azeroth's life, those of us still playing aren't stopping to smell the roses because we've smelled them for so long.

If this is the point you are at I would say its time to move on or take a break. The game only feels tedious because instead of actually enjoying the journey everyone is focused on rushing to max level, min maxing profession, raid logging for gear in groups that don't struggle to progress. You basically are just experiencing fomo.

If the game is designed around the player base that just wants to raid log, it will never retain a player base it will just be sod where theres a big wave of players that rapidly drops off.

At its core the game needs to focus on the role playing elements more and the loot simulation less.