I completely agree with you. Ever since I stopped playing with the friends I made in L2 quite a few years ago I haven't felt the same magic I have in L2 or Vanilla WoW. Being nothing short of amazed at being able to tool around in an established world that I have always loved compounded with sharing those experiences is what has made this MMO the first one for me to fall in love with again for almost a decade. I've gotten past level 40, when for the last ~7 years the highest level I would get to was 25 before just getting bored.

I am not just leveling, I am looking forward to the end-game content, and this is all because of the great friends I have recently made from joining what was a brand new FC on my first day. I had never accepted a random invite like that before, but this time I said "what the hell" and went with it.

Finding an FC that fits your play style is definitely important.