Why You Wouldn't Survive Life In Azeroth
If you already spend most of your time playing World of Warcraft, you've likely pondered what it would be like to actually live in Azeroth. How cool would it be to fly on a hippogryph or a giant bat? Maybe visit Pandaria, marvel at Teldrassil? Wouldn't it be nice to wield magical powers or swing giant weapons or even thwart death?
About that whole death thing: there's a lot of it in Azeroth. So much so you likely wouldn't last more than a day as any race or class in World of Warcraft. This isn't pessimism: it's just facts as cold and hard as a steel blade at your throat. Stick to playing on your PC, dear readers, because there are many reasons why you wouldn't survive life in Azeroth.
Wars galore
War is what World of Warcraft is all about. It's in the name, after all. Azeroth is plagued by widespread catastrophe much of the time. Each expansion brings a new earth-shaking threat. It started with The Burning Crusade when demons flooded in from another world. Then came Wrath of the Lich King, where instead of demons, the undead rose and attacked. Soon after that was taken care of, the dragon Deathwing wanted to end all life on Azeroth. Then came more demons, more invasions, more war ...
Basically, there isn't ever peacetime. Threats lurk around every corner as is, but those threats continually escalate. Azeroth is a dangerous place, where thousands die on a regular basis. Who's to say you won't be one of that number munched on by demons or in the thrall of the Lich King?
Plot armor is the only thing keeping you alive
Wait, you may say, I've survived all the expansions as my character — why couldn't I? Not only is your character well equipped with armor, they also have an invisible layer of plot armor. Since you're the protagonist of your own playthrough, it wouldn't make any sense if you suddenly died midway through. In the words of TV Tropes, "Because [you are] essential to the plot, [you] can't be removed from the story until the final confrontation."
Even if you're bumbling, inept, or downright bad at the game, it gives you hundreds of chances to try again. You can always return to your body and live to fight the good fight once more. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone could do that? Obviously, non-player characters are unable to enjoy this overpowered ability, otherwise they'd never die. All those dead orcs and humans on the battlefields would simply get up and dust themselves off. They don't because they're not the heroes of the story. You are, and you're likely overestimating the power of your plot armor if you think a jaunt in Azeroth sounds like a good vacation.
Everyday life is rife with plagues and poverty
As a side effect of all this war and calamity, Azeroth is rife with famine and poverty. Sure, it's a pretty place, but have you ever noticed the situation in areas like Westfall? The only jobs seem to be military-related, and that's practically a death sentence considering the whole demons, undead, dragons, and more demons thing. Without people around to tend the crops, the fields have gone fallow and now carrion birds run rampant. Everyone living there enjoys the pleasures of abject poverty. Sounds like fun, right?
Yeah, no. Let's be real: if you really went to Azeroth, the best you could hope for is a short, unsatisfying life as one of the homeless souls running around Westfall. Without plot armor and its considerable power, there's little hope for your survival in this war-torn world.