Here is some quotes from the dev's themselves about the high end game, and links to the articles:
Raid Articles (PVE)
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/pvp/raid-article.html
Quote:
We really tried to go top-heavy with it, to make these raid encounters truly spectacular, because we knew we weren't going to put in a steep leveling curve. We aren't going to bog people down in the normal leveling process, so we expect that there will be a lot of people at maximum level and they'll be anticipating some truly epic challenges.
PVP stuff
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/pvp/pvp-article.html
Quote:
The core part of our PvP system that really reinforces our team-versus-team structure is team-based goals. If your team accomplishes certain goals in the world, then everyone that is participating in PvP will gain more honor, which is the currency of worth in player versus player conflict.
Our team-based goals include killing important faction NPCs and controlling contested territory. For example, if players on the Alliance side manage to kill Thrall, the orc warchief in Orgrimmar, then everyone on the Alliance PvP team will earn more honor that day. Battlegrounds work similarly: If you manage to conquer a battleground then your side will get honor points that will be distributed to everybody. While there are a lot of individual awards for a player, it is always in your best interest to team up with other players in the Alliance or Horde, depending on which side you are on, and accomplish these team-based goals because everybody benefits.
And Battlegrounds (PVP)
Quote:
What Are Battlegrounds?
Battlegrounds are special zones that are always flagged for PvP. They exist on both the PvP and normal servers, and are considered contested territory. Players on the PvP server will be familiar with contested territory, but for players on the normal servers, they will find it more dangerous because the moment they set foot in this zone, they can be attacked by the opposing side. However, there will be incentives for adventuring in these zones, including team-based goals for PvP.
Yes I already miss WoW /cry