Addendum
I totally neglected the sandbox element. This rail-road quest lining from beginning to end that seem to be the coerced primary source of XP and loot in most of the new games irritates and bores me to no end. EQ has some optional quests and some complex quest lines, which are great, but apart from those you can log in and then decide "hmm, where will my feet take me today?" without feeling like you're missing out on something you ought to do to keep up.
EQ doesn't force you to follow a story tailored to your race/class combo, rather it lets you write your own, thus allowing you immersion through self-wrought fantasy instead of a pre-written package. EQ isn't "you should", it's "you decide".
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