rampant IP theft and fraud

[Alhanelem]

I played on nearly every 75 era private server because it offers an experience that cannot be replicated in retail anymore due to many reason

In my mind that experience cannot be replicated anymore because we've all done it already. They could delete everything after the cap rise and it still wouldn't be the same. We'd eventually run out of reasons to play and need more content. Nostalgia is a pair of rose tinted galsses, and even if you go to a "classic" or private server, it will not be the same as when you did it for the first time. It doesn't have the same thrill or excitement factor as when everything was unknown to you.

This isn't a bad thing. it's just something that happens. But private servers are illegal and circumvent the subscription fee. And quite frankly, I think that's the real reason most people do it.

You can be 75 for as long as you want on retail by simply not doing the limit break quest. There are like minded people to play with, you can get that experience without scamming SE (whether you think they deserve it or not).

The vast vast vast majority of private server enjoyers do not partake because it's "free."

I very very strongly disagree. If that were the case, they'd at least be honest and keep their sub.

You can not replicate the original experience you got when you did everything for the first time. It's simply not possible, becuase you already have the memory of it. You already know how the game works.

If you thought pounding the same monster for hours on end was the fun part of the game, that's no less doable on retail as it is elsewhere. But the real reason it was fun was the social interaction. Which is also still possible. The Master Level grind is the closest thing the game has had to that in years, and if you want to grind grind grind, simply do it the "legit" way and grind to your heart's content. I fail to see how it's different to grind on apex crabs (example) vs grinding on lesser colibri for merit points like we used to.

The fact that new things do keep happening (even if it may be slowly) here in real Vana'diel is the reason I still play. I can not ever go back to the game being frozen in some past time. And you may not realize this but that's also the reason why WoW Classic and other similar things still re-release the old expansions over time so people don't get bored; making it simply a time warp to X years ago rather than a specific date frozen in time.

there is a charm to 75 cap and slow grind exp that just has no replication in today's game.

Unless you take the easy way out and pay someone to grind for you, the Master Level grind is slower than the classic level-up experience ever was.