For me it was when dungeons changed from this:
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To this:
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Everquest was a WORLD. Going into a dungeon was terrifying. You could get lost anywhere. It never cared if you were receiving a "fair challenge." You were entering a dangerous dungeon!
If you died, you may never find your body again. At some point it stopped being a world and turned into a playground where you go from room to room boss to boss.
One of the coolest things about the early dungeons was 3D level design. It took a lot of skill to craft such cool places. Later expansions just went fully 2D and boring. It's a shame.