Personally: 5/10
Pros:
- Covenant. It is a nice idea in a MMORPG, and I praise Blizzard to try new things. It is good flavor and lore for wow, but it can cause balance issue in long term.
- Thread of Fate. It just offer players an optional way to level. More choices are always better.
- Renown Catch-up system. It is clearly an improvement from previous expansions
Cons:
- Same borrowed power system. Anima/Renown = AP, Soulbinds/Conduits = Traits/Essences = Relics. It is the same max level progression system since Legion.
- Same endgame contents (M+/raids/PvP). Legion introduced M+ as a new form for endgame. BFA and SL just remain exactly the same without innovation.
- Maw and Torghast. They are not impressive so far. They feel like the same daily and weekly chore in a even worse form.
Neutrual:
- Zones and Quests. The graphic and music are good as usual.
- Dungeons and Raids. The design and lore are good as usual.
In summary, Legion introduced 2 major new aspects to wow:
- Max level progression / borrowed power system
- Mythic+ dungeons as a new form of endgame.
BFA and SL remain largely the same as Legion without major new things. SL = BFA 2.0 = Legion 3.0
When players did it 1st time in Legion, it was great. When we repeated it again in BFA, it was bad. When we have it 3rd time in a row, it will end worse.
I know it is still too early to rate Shadowlands. But what is your opinion so far?