For me its:
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Ultima Online
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Final Fantasy XI
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Ragnarok Online
UO was a game I just recently discovered and it’s fantastic, best sandbox experience I’ve ever had in a game.
FFXI was another recent discovery. It took the formula from Everquest and made it better. The game is even less grindy today with the QOL changes.
RO was a big part of my teenage years. I love the look of the game, it reminds me of Final Fantasy Tactics. It’s a great casual game to just pop into and grind out some levels or explore.
Classic EverQuest (pre Luclin)
Classic FFXI
Classic WoW
Fond and painful memories of grouping in Blackburrow and Crushbone and getting killed by trains. I recently tried out modern EQ and there’s so much content, plus you can have an npc companion for heals which makes soloing viable.
I can’t get into modern, I did project 1999 for awhile but modern sweaty gamers really ruin what it once was. A big part of the fun was logging in and playing with DnD nerds who had no idea that they didn’t need to take everything very seriously (socially)
Yeah try-hards that min max EQ and play to get the best loot kill the fun.