I would have to agree with twinking them if you want them to stick around.  Having come from more modern games, they might be expecting a lot more in the way of speed and convenience than EQ has to offer.  Twinking will help take some of the early level sting out of it.  Playing together + twinking I believe they might enjoy it more.  Those that have played before have more motivation to push through early levels from scratch because of the memories it brings back. 
		
		
		
		
		
		
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