[Tallenn]

You have to remember with WOW though that buffs were level-restricted right from the beginning. Plus, buffs don't make a really huge difference in your ability to survive. There also isn't any run speed or hitpoint regen or mana regen buff you could cast on someone else.

However in EQ, throw a Sow, Skin like nature, chloroplast and shield of thorns on a level 1, and he can solo stuff 8 or 9 levels above himself- heal him while he's fighting, and he can go even higher. Give a clarity to a soloing caster, and it will speed up their experience gain considerably. Give a SoW to anyone, and it just makes their life better in general, whether they are going somewhere or experiencing.

Drive-by buffing makes a much bigger impact on the recipient in EQ than in most other games, and that probably has an effect on why it is so much more common.