Now THIS is what I remember from the old days.

[Youfie]

Rag was about what 3 months?

Levelling.

[Dr. Doom]

If you're expecting a challenge, prepare to be disappointed at endgame.

MC40 isn't a challenge?

So that means I can do without a huge buttload arsenal of consumables and flasks, food, potions, scrolls, runes, etc, for anything other than AQ/Naxx/MC40?

Yes.
You have to realise an important thing. Talents in vanilla changed a lot between patches. What you had in say, 1.3 was vastly different (and much weaker) to what you have in the 1.12 version we are playing. There is a reason why Ragnaros was largely unkillable for a couple of patches, but then became a small hickup in the progression of a new guild.

Second, Molten Core was designed to require 40 people wearing level 50s greens and blues, nothing exceptional. Yet, since the common attitude in this server is that you should farm for the absolute best crafted/dungeon pieces, and then have full enchants, the Core will evidently not be at the top of difficulty.

Finally, I don't know of any guild here who is actually taking the trouble to go in there, try the bosses blindly and then start thinking how to do them. Everyone is just reading decade old guides, copying practised and repractised strategies (whether they're the best or not is something else) and reapplying them.

So when you step into Molten Core wearing high end blues, or some crafted epics, using maxxed out 1.12 talents and having read a guide that gives you the timer on every single debuff, AoE, patrol or anything... why would it not be easy?

[toolshed]

Vanilla wow is basically a copy and paste of Everquest with all the hard or irritating parts gone. You want a real challenge? Make a char on Project1999 Everquest.

The idea that vanilla wow was hard because nobody knew how to play MMORPGs is moronic, short sighted, and is a good indicator that Wow was their first MMORPG.

[Dr. Doom]

Vanilla wow is basically a copy and paste of Everquest with all the hard or irritating parts gone. You want a real challenge? Make a char on Project1999 Everquest.

The idea that vanilla wow was hard because nobody knew how to play MMORPGs is moronic, short sighted, and is a good indicator that Wow was their first MMORPG.

Seconded.
EQ99 is actually a game that I'm not ashamed to say is too hard for me.

[Amkô]

The idea that vanilla wow was hard because nobody knew how to play MMORPGs is moronic, short sighted, and is a good indicator that Wow was their first MMORPG.

And it sure was the first MMORPG for the most of the people and a lot of people didn't even know, what a MMO is/was.

Yeah there was a core of EQ players and so on, but many of them went back to EQ as I know at least a couple out of my guild quit WoW because they said it's to casual/easy.

For me, it was the first MMO, and I didn't even know what's this game about until I logged in and hit, let's say level 10. Imagine a CS player, never played a MMO logging into a Warrior, who had just auto attack and heroic strike (same swing timer, so basically one attack). It started very slowly and boring for me tho

And one thing about Vanilla was also that there were not such addons and guides like you have them now.

Again, imagine WoD retail now without any guides and addons? Archimonde would never die (not even in HC) for the most guilds ^^