I stopped playing in August 2003, tried to log into my account in 2011. FC said they could not reset it so I could log in. So two weeks ago, I started a new account...but getting my old main Hemicrusher was still eating at my brain. I contacted FC again and went through a process of emailing my ID etc. Yesterday I got back in.
Well the account was hacked, and all my toons except two were deleted. Hemicrusher was in social clothes and had a pillow just so he could buff EOB. Luckily all my armor was in a backpack. So here I am in 2014 with circa 2003 armor and weapon. A mix of Azure and the stuff that Eel dropped, Heavy Notum Tank and my Enhanced Queen Blade.
I was considered pretty badass back then. Now I am a gimp.....and while talking to a new guild I joined that is going to fix me, I was buffing EOB at AOG and getting 1 or 2 gear inspections a minute. I got so many comments about how I was a gimp, to folks jazzed at seeing what we looked like back then.
Now is it my lack of understanding the current way the game works, but it looks to me you can pretty much build a nice Enforcer if you have creds? I am told, buy Ofab etc But back in 03, you had to raid a lot to get anything good. I tanked for a guild called Lost Chapter back then and did Mercenaries at least five times a week, including Eel etc. Even after 100+ Mercenaries raids, I was able to only get a helmet, one sleeve, chest, gloves and heavy notum tank. The rest came from Eel.
Now I am not complaining, because I got Hemicrusher back.....but damn, the game has changed.