[lumin]

What I love the most about EQ is how tense it can be when hunting in a zone with mobs much higher than your own level. The thing is, is that in almost every zone you go into, there are going to be a few outlying mobs that are much stronger than you roaming around. Running into one of these and barely escaping is truly a hair-raising experience.

Having high level mobs in lower-level zones gives a good reason to go back to old zones when you've become much stronger later. WoW doesn't do this: when you've leveled up beyond a zone, it's pointless to ever return, making the game feel like you're on rails.

What makes it even more exciting is the faction system. One day mobs in a zone may completely ignore you, but walk back in there a while later and they may have all turned against you.

So even though EQ is very grindy, there's always something around the corner to keep you on your toes. It requires a quick wit and even some FPS "twitchiness" sometimes to avoid or defeat harder mobs.