[Branaddar]

I think there were a multitude of factors that swayed a number of people. For me it was a mix of:

- Rapidly released expansions making me feel like I was always 10 miles behind where I wanted to be
- The lack of proper direction on the Monk class (are we pullers? dps? why is a bard easily able to out-pull us when they can kite solo and provide awesome group benefits? etc.) SOE lost sight of what they wanted Monks to be in the game, and as such, we went from primo pullers to mediocre pullers and alright DPS.
- Too many AAs. I'm all for keeping XPing after level cap, but the sheer number required to be a "good" monk was staggering. I liked it better when all I had to worry about was skill and equipment.
- Too many boxers, too many soloers and mercenaries. Nuff said. I almost never got groups outside of "pity" spots in guild groups.
- All my old friends quit. I played EQ for the community and the friends I made over the years. Most of them quit.

I came back for the Combine. An expansion every month meant I was always behind. Again.

Resubbed to EQLive after that after meeting my wife, we tried to play on her server with some RL friends and that didn't go so well. We moved back to my server, got in a decent raiding guild and were having fun again... until the guild fell apart.

Came back yet again for Mayong, which was a lot of fun for a while but again... mercs and boxers meant it was hard to meet people.

I think my issue isn't with EQ per se, as much as the players who play MMOs these days. There's no more sense of a close community in any large server/game anymore. It's all about the small circle of friends you had going into it, or the guild you join.

I remember when people knew me. Not because I was ubar or an asshat or anything, just because I talked to and met a lot of people and had a reputation as a helpful, skilled and friendly Monk.

No disrespect meant to any of the newer MMO players, but I miss the old days when MMOs were a niche market.