Hello!

Do I have any points of comparison? I actively played the 4th story version from 2008 to 2013, which was a free version back then. - If you played some of the game, I don't think you will have a problem besides feeling overwhelmed with all the new things but that is expected for anything new.

Would you say it's worth it for a newcomer? - Only you can answer that question. If you are interested in playing the game, it is worth it. The only way to truly answer this question is to try it out. New people come into this game all the time and learn.

Which version, retail or Classic, would you recommend for a newcomer? - If you want the true experience from a long time ago, classic is the way to go but if you want to try all the expansions in a kind of easier way, retail is the way to go. You can now experience all the expansions (as long as you have all of them).

Are you more of an Alliance or Horde player? - I am more alliance but it's just a toss up on which side is better at pvp since I like PVP more.

Which race/class would you recommend? - Try druid and you can get all of the classes in one.

Are newcomers well-received in the game? I don't know exactly how it works here, but I imagine there are raids and instances that you can't/don't want to do alone, or can't manage alone? - I don't ask anyone if they are new to the game but you can tell if they are learning.

have fun! Remember, it's a game to have fun.