Let me first say that I think wow is one of the best mmo's out there. You really can't compare game like wow with free mmo's...it just doesn't work like that
Im gonna be honest and when i made my first character, I hated the game. But once you explore the game, theres a lot more things you can do other than grind all day long. This game offers so much compared to other mmo's I've played before.
Is the game worth the $15? I don't know and thats for you to decide...I think its worth the $15. I mean seriously you're making such a big deal out of it...$15 is like nothing. Besides, don't most of P2p mmo's charge like$15?
One thing i hate about wow is that...i lose track of time lol.