This is not possible, as access to the Blizzard servers only is possible with a valid subscription. This needs to be a paid and active subscription connected to a battle.net account. Without this, you cannot play World of Warcraft on official servers.
Chat with our AI personalities
I don't think it is ILLEGAL to play Private Servers. However, to own a Private Server is illegal.
Technically, private servers are illegal for World of Warcraft. Nevertheless, many people still play on private servers.
Runescape private servers are private servers where players can play the browser MMO with a select few. Sometimes the servers will have mods added to them which make gameplay different.
I highly doubt there are any public servers that give ranks out free, I give ranks out freely to people who play on my server... but it's private.
No, you can not play World of Warcraft without a subscription unless you play on illegal private servers that are not supported by blizzard. These servers can be much more buggy and you will be kicked off the server many times because the server itself crashes many times and generally by an all around mess. EDIT: you can now play World of Warcraft for free until level 20.