Welcome back. F2P used to be big because of PVP, but Blizzard split the queues of F2P, and long story short, lvl 20s are now pitted against lvl 29s, resulting more often than not in a massacre for 20s. F2P PVE, however, has been steadily opening up more and more. There are a few flying mounts you can get, mostly from older expansions as the new stuff was slapped with a lvl 35 requirement to my knowledge. As to F2P on retail, it's honestly a pretty good time at the moment. Warbanking has made interconnected alts a legitimate thing, and flying is open to all. Racials have changed and profession-based ones are less important than they were. Also on the matter of racials, choose any race you like. Most of the races with stronger or more distinct perks are called Allied Races, and require some paid game time at some point to unlock. Grouping still isn't a thing (Well it is if you queue dungeons), and all of the old expansions are open via Chromie Time. You mostly cannot chat with high level players; I say mostly because sometimes the game decides you can for some reason. Bottom line, the social aspect of F2P is largely a solitary experience, but not always.
When I first began building toward F2P in 2021, I was going to hit 20, get a good outfit, and call it a day. It still surprises me how much farther I've been able to go.
In conclusion, if you're looking for some fun in F2P, there's a better than average chance you can find it.
