This was the experience for me: none of the other MMORPGs I had played until that point and the ones I played after ever came close to the same hype and love I poured into this game.

The story was unique and seasonal events built upon the overall lore of the world while establishing canonicity to some of the larger speculations (take "The Seven Silences" or "The Meowing"), reinforced the presence of entities we had only glimpsed at before.

It's such a shame it ended how it ended. It was janky and poorly maintained but it was my neglected child.