For me its:
-
Ultima Online
-
Final Fantasy XI
-
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.
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.