Originally Posted by Alici
I honestly don't think that it's the number of people present that make the encounter epic, it's the encounter's design. There are fights that simply make you go "whoa," but as far as I can tell it's not because you see 24 or 39 other characters running around. It's because the fight is engrossing, the boss lore and characterization is captivating, and the mechanics are memorable.
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That's opinion based. I've done Naxx and I've done BT, and with the exception of Illidan, the 40 mans felt way more epic (to me!). Illidan felt epic due to:
time of encounter
complexity and stages
seeing lots of people on the terrace. By having people spread out you get a grander scale of the encounter.
This is a very very different feel from Illidari council, in which (as a melee dps), the thing feels like a 5 man. I'm there with two or three other people whacking away at the paladin the whole time. That whole encounter is literally a 4 man event, tops, when I've done it.
So, while you could make a 40 man encounter feel like a 5 man (as described above), you can't make a 5 man feel like a 40 man if they were both pushed to their limits.
All of this just my opinion.