So first of all I'm not a troll. I've always thought WoW going free to play wouldn't happen anytime soon. But if you think about it, it's going to look like maybe they are working towards that point. Blizzard isn't crazy, and they know they can't keep charging this kind of money for a more then 10 year old game forever. If you look at their newest games like Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm it's clear they are aiming for a payment model that is free, but with optional microtransactions.
We know with their current ingame shop Blizzard is obviously trying out something, probably how much money they can generate through such a sytem. With one of the selling points of the next expansion, the garrisons, Blizzard will have another excuse to sell lots of cosmetic items. And that's not crazy if you think about it, people who love their garrison will immediately buy awesome stuff for their new home.
So if you think about, it's not a matter about if, but when we'll start seeing WoW going free to play. Will it be after WoD? Or maybe after the expansion after the expansion of WoD? Or will it never happen? Now I think about it I included a poll to see what you guys think. I myself think 2 expansions after WoD has to be their moment to change with payment model.
Mod-note: Took the freedom to change the title a little, as the first one could appear misleading.