how to say this nicely? You're countering yourself in every point, so you're really just complaining to complain.

"Pandas don't really appeal to me as a race... I'd have a hard time transposing myself into a panda."

Good news. Not only are they introducing Pandaren, they are retaining the other races as well, so you don't have to roll a panda.

"it feels like it's gone beyond "inspired by" and is straight up lifted from China, Vietnam, Singapore, Korea and Japan."

Uhm, what? You realize, don't you, that while the 5 nations you mentioned share some similar elements, they all have distinct architectural styles, and if you cannot pinpoint exactly which style is being utilized, it means the style used was inspired by, not copied from.

"Pretty sure I read that a new mini-game or quest hub allows you to build your own farms. Really?"

I know! Awesomesauce on waffles! With rumor being that it could expand to player housing. /excited

"Questing, or at least the interviews about questing, seem a little too light-hearted for my taste. We have to save beer for a brewery, and then fight beer-e-mentals?"

That's an instance, actually, and they're alementals, just for the record. Sorry if you like your entertainment to be depressing. I like mine to be entertaining, but to each their own.