When comparing Dungeons & Dragons v3.5 / Pathfinder RPG vs Dungeon World, the Slant community recommends Dungeon World for most people. In the question“What are the best tabletop RPGs?” Dungeon World is ranked 4th while Dungeons & Dragons v3.5 / Pathfinder RPG is ranked 29th. The most important reason people chose Dungeon World is:
Unlike other RPGs where the GM creates the world and the storyline single-handedly, here GMs are specifically asked to leave blanks and players encouraged to fill them in.
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Pros
Pro Enormous pool of source material
The D&D v3.x family was published under an Open Game License which encouraged third-party material. Two editions later, there is still a thriving market creating new 3.5-compatible resources.
Pro Actively supported via Pathfinder RPG
When Wizards of the Coast discontinued D&D v3.5 development in favor of 4th Edition, Paizo took advantage of the Open Gaming License to publish an updated revision of the 3.x rules under the title Pathfinder RPG, which is still their flagship product. Notably, Pathfinder RPG has consistently outsold 4th Edition.
Pro Modular system encourages creativity
The D&D v3.x family is designed around building characters, monsters, magic items, etc., from small simple pieces. For each piece, any of countless others can be substituted, allowing near-infinite customization and variety.
Pro Many easy to comprehend books and other resources
Pro Perfect balance of DM storytelling and deeply granular rules.
All of the deep-dive rulebooks provide the option for endless complexity - go as far as you want, and you'll never run out of opportunities. However, the basic mechanic of "roll a d20 and add your bonus" is simple enough that the DM can tell stories, create worlds, and build adventures with their party.
3.5e is the perfect edition.
Pro Encourages players and the GM to build the world collaboratively
Unlike other RPGs where the GM creates the world and the storyline single-handedly, here GMs are specifically asked to leave blanks and players encouraged to fill them in.
Pro Great advice and systems to help GMs along
Dungeon World provides GMs with great advice on how to run a good session.
Additionally, GMs can set conditions that, if fulfilled, will give a player XP. It gives the GM a way of enticing players to perform certain actions they might not otherwise have considered or wanted to perform.
Pro Encourages creating relationships between characters
Relationships between characters are established during the character creation process as well as at the end of each session via Bonds. Bonds are simple statements that explain how a character relates to another character. An example of a bond would be, "Avon proved himself a coward in the dungeons of Xax’takar. He is a dangerous liability to the party and must be watched." Multiple bonds can be established at a time. At the end of each session bonds resolved and new ones created give XP.
Pro Narrative driven fantasy RPG
Dungeon World is set in a D&D-esque world with a distinct slant towards combat and treasure gathering while emphasizing narrative over combat mechanics.
The game includes classic fantasy RPG classes such as Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Thief and Wizard and D&D style ability scores such as Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
Pro Has a self-regulating power balance system
In Dungeon World, XP is given for failures, and automatically for any rolls that are 6 or below. It provides many benefits and chief among them is the fact that it allows players to catch up to the difficulty of challenges faced. Additionally, it encourages the group to attempt harder challenges, reduces grief caused by failure and clears the GM from having to track each individual player's level.
Pro Encourages playing according to character's way of thinking and morality
XP is given at the end of the session if a character is acting according to alignment. Alignments are categorized as Good, Lawful, Neutral, Chaotic, and Evil.
Pro Does not require special dice
The game can be played with common six-sided dice.
Cons
Con Encourages character optimization outside of play
With so many options available to the player, and the almost unlimited ability to combine them, certain "character builds" are patently superior to others. Players who spend a lot of personal time poring over the rules can often create characters so powerful that players who don't optimize feel useless in games with those who do.
Con Casters are significantly more powerful than non-casters
Con Detailed simulation slows down gameplay
Due to countless situational modifiers, players and DM alike have to put a great deal of thought into decisions about position, order of actions, etc., to the point that six seconds (one combat round) of "in-game time" frequently takes half an hour or more of play time.
Con Very easy to build broken (overpowered / underpowered) characters
Con Hard for the GM with non-collaborative players
Con Combat system can be confusing for some
Dungeon World's combat system is not divided into turns in order to make it more fluid. But it can get confusing as to what happens in what order. It is purposefully frantic, but that can turn off some. Especially people with preconceived notions of how RPGs should be played.
In the most basic form - GMs narrate the beginning of an NPC's action to which the player responds. If the player's response triggers a move, roll the dice. GM narrates the conclusion.
Con It's not entirely free
The text is CC-BY but the game as a whole (graphics etc) is not free. You can make and sell your own games based off it but you won't find the PDF download for free anywhere.