An idea...
What if each WoW Expansion was a stand alone adventure?
The only requirement is reaching level 60 in Classic.
Then your character is copied to 7 different servers with a starter set appropriate for that server.
- BC - Server (10 levels + end game)
- WotLK - Server (10 levels + end game)
- Cata - Server (5 levels + end game)
- MoP - Server (5 levels + end game)
- WoD - Server (10 levels + end game)
- Legion - Server (10 levels + end game)
- BfA - Server (10 levels + end game)
You can skip any expansin you don't like and jump to the expansion of your choice.
But your progress only affects your character in that expansion.
So you could jump directly to BfA after reaching Level 60, but also keep your Level 60 character to play all the Classic raids during downtime.
Or you could play a WotLK character and a Legion character ignoring everything else.
Benefits
- All expansion types are preserved and playable.
- Play only the expansion you like, ignore the others.
- Progress on one expansion does not invalidate your progress on another.
- Stops the power and number creep needed by the current linear progression path.
- When a new xpac is released, all previous players have a starter toon ready to play, even if they skipped a few expansions in between or didn't finish one of them. A clean replacement of the current boost system.
- Brand new players could get a "free to play" Classic experience, then purchase the xpacs they want. Possibly skipping them all, and remaining on the "free to play" Classic realm only. Or only buying the latest expansion and jumping directly to that gameplay after reaching Level 60.
- Retail WoW is still the driving force behind new content via new expansion. No OSRS system needed.
- Any item you get in a lower tier expansions can be used as transmog for in the new expansions.