Can we get cross-realm raids? (Source)
Doing this is a bit more complicated than the 5 player dungeons. For 5 player dungeons it's not a big deal to allow the random heroics to skip lock outs and is not very hard to setup a group. We obviously can't skip lockouts for raids and it just much more common for raids to not complete all of the content, so you could come back a few days later and find someone else cleared your instance. It's definitely something that sounds good in theory but there are a lot of issues that we would have to figure out first.
Bryntroll proc does more damage than Scourge Strike (Source)
Because we removed the passive stats to add the procs to some weapons in Icecrown we were a little more generous with what they could do to keep them interesting/fun even if a lot of players felt they would be terrible without the passive stats. The Nibelung staff can proc a lot of Val’kyr so this isn't a Bryntroll/melee specific topic.
Just to avoid surprises, procs like this are the kind of thing you will likely see a lot more of in order for gear to not to feel so predictable and boring from tier to tier.
As far as the PvP concerns, the classes that can use this weapon were already quite popular so we are keeping an eye on things and see if any noticeable impact happens on them.
Why can't we skip the lore in Culling of Stratholme? (Source)
This is something we'd like to do and we may do it in the future, but it's not something to expect just over the horizon. This kind of change would require a fairly large technical overhaul of our existing dungeons. When it comes down to it, we'd rather have the story in the game for those who want to see it and work on making it something that you can bypass at a later date.
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With Trial of the Champion. we were already aware of the potential issue. We were able to plan for that instance, specifically, to have a dialog option to opt out of the Role-playing portion. Additionally, there are specific character movements that make the issue more complicated in the Culling of Stratholme events.
Is stamina stacking important for tanks now? (Source)
The general issue (from a player perspective) is that dodges and parries don't work very well against spells. Melee damage is large part of the damage that a tank takes, but there are spells out there and having higher health allows you to take those situations just as well as the high melee situations.
Is anyone else tired of how easy raids are now? (Source)
We see posts like this from time to time but they tend to not include any compelling argument. Nostalgia is powerful. In a game that has been out this long there can be a lot of great memories of the past that you would relish to relive again. We understand this, but, the game continues to move forward and changes are made to benefit the entire playerbase.
As opposed to the old systems of years ago, the current raiding content is more accessible to more people. Yes, this is a good thing. The way emblems reward items also allow more players to be on the same or similar levels of gear and help minimize/avoid the "I'm in max gear and smash all faces" scenarios that force players to start from the very beginning raid content no matter how progressed the content patches are.
For players who are only satisfied by beating the highest level content and the most challenging encounters, the hard modes are available. Encounters like Yogg-0 and Anub'arak 25 are no joke. Then, the Lich King awaits (behind his walls).
Do players try to "pad" the meters? (Source)
I don't think it's that players are necessarily trying to pad the meters (though I'm sure that does happen). I think the risk is misinterpreting "highest damage ever" as some kind of metric of how *you* do in your raid. The goal here is not to break the world record and win a gold medal. The goal is to defeat the boss, and it's probably a boss you are going to be fighting week after week. Consistency is generally more important than occasionally achieving huge numbers.
Consider two players below:
Player A has a damage range of 8000 to 12,000 dps. His average is 10,000 dps and 90% of the time he is near 10,000 dps. When the stars align, he can reach 12,000 dps. He sometimes drops to 8000 dps too.
Player B has a damage range of 10,000 to 11,500 dps. His average is 10,750 dps, but he still hits 11,500 quite often.
Now who would you rather have with you? Probably B. Yet when you look at a "Highest damage ever" list, you'll see A pegged at 12K and B pegged at 11.5K and worry that "A wins."
Why were starting items messed with in 3.3? (Source)
Changes like this happened to avoid confusion for players starting the game. While leveling with a sword and shield is possible, in a lot of ways it is easier to level with a two-handed weapon and ... well... many players feel more awesome that way.