Cross server group find for flashpoints is needed.

According to that chart, at the end of TBC WoW had around 11 million subs (WotLK was released in November 2008), which seems to coincide roughly just before the release of WotLK. Patch 3.3 (which introduced LFD) launched in December 2009, but the population kept dropping. Then around the time of Cata's release it increased in subscriptions to roughly 12 million before quickly dropping again. LFR was launched 29th of November 2011, but the subs kept dropping, while, funnily enough, Aion's sub drops slowed down, Runescape got a small influx of subscribers and SWTOR was launched.

Nothing in that chart even remotely says that LFD or LFR made WoW gain subscribers, quite the opposite in fact, they kept dropping. The only factors that actually increased population was the launch of WotLK and the launch of Cataclysm. This can mean that LFD and LFR only helped in decreasing subs, at best kept it from dropping more than it did, but they certainly didn't help increasing subs or bring old players back.

They're working on a cross server LFG system too; starting with PVP. They are talking about doing heroics and flashpoints next.

That's basically Blizzard has declared raids to be the ultimate end game focus for PvE. Good news though! There will be challenge modes for you in MOP so you can be no.1 on your own special leaderboard

Uh what? Cataclysm was released in Q4 2010. Notice how Q1-3 2010 all show an increase in subscribers from the downward slog it had taken in 2009?

http://www.wowwiki.com/World_of_Warc..._the_Lich_King
http://www.wowwiki.com/Patch_3.3.0
http://www.wowwiki.com/World_of_Warcraft:_Cataclysm
http://www.wowwiki.com/Patch_4.3
Feel free to double check the dates.

And if you notice that there are no points between 2010 and Q3 2010, which means that the subs could have dropped more after that and increased right at launch of Cata, or it could also mean that after the 2010 point that the subs gradually went up and peaked at launch. There is no way for us to really know, but the only thing we do know is that it peaked at launch.

Like I said before if you look at the graph you'll see that each year is segmented. The subscription rates were dropping in 2009 (WoW's issues in China likely being one source) then began to climb back up all throughout the year 2010. Cataclysm was released at the end of 2010. Obviously the population didn't suddenly just drop or decline after LFD, it actually increased again.

PvP=good

Time raiding last in wow, maybe 4-6 hours a week.
Time running dungeons in wow, 10-14 hours a week.

Why?

There seems to be a few different discussions going on in this thread, so this question got passed over, but why is cross-server PVE bad and destroys communities while cross-server PVP doesn't? I just noticed that this seems to be accepted as truth whenever this topic comes up without anyone articulating the reasoning behind it. I just want to understand the argument is all.