Originally Posted by
Toybox
Let me first address the "NoThInG iS rEqUiReD" point that someone will doubtlessly bring up - Yes, we know, but going into higher level PvE content, there's an expectation that your character (or characters depending on the guild) are up to date & ready to go. While this has also been the case in previous expansions ('cept maybe WoD at some points), I think it's fair to say that BfA is by far one of the heaviest in terms of time commitment outside of raiding, much to the dismay of many.
So, let's look at everything that you had to do throughout BfA to keep your characters as relevant as possible as to not hold your friends & guildies back. Out of the following, which would/wouldn't you do? (If you'd do things once or twice to experience the content but not want to repeat it indefinitely, that's fair, too). I know Warfronts aren't required anymore, and whether Islands & PvP are required for you fully depends on the spec you play & the essences you're best of with, but it's best to include them.
Islands
Warfronts
Emissaries/WQs
Mythic+ Weekly
Mythic+ Farm
Visions
Professions
Rep/Currency Farm
Battlegrounds
Arena
I can only speak for myself, but outside of keeping on top of my professions, M+ (which I really enjoy thanks to having some good guys n gals to play with), the exalted faction count, & occasional PvP, I'd gladly sit out everything else after a try or two.
Visions are decent enough content, but farming world quests to get currency to farm 5 masks to get a socket for a drop I just got in a raid is not really my idea of a good time. All things considered, socketing an item is probably a good 3+ hours of repetitive gameplay, & if I could skip it, I gladly would.
Emissaries/WQs wouldn't even be considered upon hitting exalted. Thankfully there's not too much of a grind now compared to previous patches, but still, 3-4 quests for the emissary alongside Vale/Uldum (if not the rare/cache quests) is quite a bit all the same.
Islands & Warfronts have gladly faded in relevance, but they're exactly the kind of content, like world quests, I'd simply not consider after experiencing them once or twice. While I don't think islands are terrible by any means, there's definitely other stuff I'd rather do instead outside of the game, & honestly, I think that's fine.
So, what would you be doing outside of raids if everything was truly optional in the sense that it had absolutely zero impact on your performance as a raider? Would you be a raid-logger, or would you dabble in other content outside of raiding? Or maybe you just love how BfA rewarded the sheer amount of effort you could put into your character & don't see it as a negative at all - That's fine, too! Opinions are just that.