EverQuest is ez mode
 

Here are some ideas to make the game more challenging,

• Remove multi-questing.
• Remove trading.
• Remove floor transfers.
• Remove racial perks.
• Remove lowbie buffing/ports.
• Remove pre-nerf loot.
• Remove Bard swarming.
• Remove fungi tunic.
• Remove level 1 weapon procs.
• Remove epic weapons.
• Remove Torpor spell.
• Remove SoW.
• Remove Clarity.
• Remove Lich.
• Remove Cannibalize.
• Remove instant invis items.
• Make charm more unreliable.
• Increase mana cost of spells.
• Increase mob damage.
• Increase mob health.
• Make mobs smart instead of dumb.
• Increase faction requirements.
• Hardcore mode only.
  

I'm not sure how you can fix EQ being an evironment in which you waste your life working for nothing of value.

I gave a torch and 2HS weapon to a L8 enchanter pet.

The pet was slashing for 67.

It was soloing Blackburrow.

EZmode.

EQ is easy. That it's not a twitch game and has downtime and organizational aspects is its main selling point.

And is more sandbox. In modern games like wow if you want to earn gold... you're streamlined into a carefully psychologically crafted gold per hour activity pipeline with a daily or weekly cap. That needs to change.

Also unnerf platfarming through pottery and mail quests and stuff. That's not currently classic and p99 funnels ppl deliberately into raid content and degenerate list camps for making plats.

I think a hard mode custom server could be cool as a gimmick.

I'd do most of the nerfs you mention except i'd ++XP.

EQ feeling too easy for an elite gamer like yourself? Whenever the game seems like you're breezing through, hit yourself as hard as humanly possible in the crotch with a ball peen hammer so you have to struggle through enormous amounts of pain in order to do the tasks that the game requires. Your irreparably bruised, necrotizing genitalia are a small price to pay for those sweet, sweet bragging rights! >:D

Realaubtle

Frack

1. Lose 20 Equifax credit score on death. No rezzes.
2. Cancel any other programs or internet devices while playing, you cannot check wikis,atlas,etc.
3. All gear is replaced with Cloth, leather and banded armor. Bronze is endgame.
4. Mana only regenerates briefly after manually drinking water or other consumable drink.
5. Same as above but with food and health.
6. In the event of public griefing of any manner, Rogean instantly Doxxes you.
7. Multiboxing results in bans, and a force-fed push of a paid Nicocado onlyfans subscription.
8. Siren comes back to offer elite hacked gear, like a smoldering brand.
9. Orcs audio is replaced by orgasm noises.
10. Rap Battles for FTE.

HARDCORE.

1. /cmd bury OP's corpse upside down at a crossroads