After playing a shitton of Ragefire this weekend, I have a few thoughts.
Before the server even launched, it was pretty obvious that the biggest problems were going to be over-powered Mages and overcrowding. Well, what do you know... Mages, server queue's, and zones with 140 people in them put a bit of a damper on what otherwise is a great experience. The danger factor of dungeons is non-existent. Two reasons: If you die, you do not have to recover your body. Second, the dungeon crawl aspect of EQ classic was really unnerving. Pushing deeper into a dungeon might mean you find yourself trapped between respawns and new mobs that you could not handle. On Ragefire, pushing deeper into a dungeon just finds you the next 6 box of Mages with 100's of dead mobs at their feet.
It is not all bad though. When you strip away the years and years of expansions and reset EQ back to classic, there really is something magical about it. Going from rags and a splintering club, to making enough money to get your first suit of banded armor is an amazing feeling. Watching a Sand Giant train run through 30 noobs in 30 seconds is beyond hilarious. Dinging level 9 and being the most popular SoW caster around is pretty cool. Finally putting together a well balanced group and grinding out 4-5 levels in a couple hours like a well oiled machine is one of the best feelings an MMO can offer. The races, cities, and classes are the best. Period.
When you are away from it for so long, you forget just how this game just busting at the seems with personality and immersion. There is not a storyline pushed down your throat, but the quests and content are there to make your own if you want it. I really think that is one of the reasons EQ is so appealing to return back to, time and time again.