For start, the "you're the hero" thing, where 12981891961899 other mother fuckers are in the background doing the same exact thing, or getting the same exact speech as your are, needs to go. Just make me a regular dude that is adventuring. Just like DnD tt.

How do you affect the world then? In DAoC, there were NPC raids on cities. You could go in and kill the leader, then the whole group would disband and run back to their village across the river. There were other similar events like this throughout the world. We need stuff like that. NPCs, or even players if you choose PvP, that affect the world. Instead of staying in one spot and just roaming a set path, they should be attacking the cities that they are mad at or revolting/gathering to revolt against. Make it so they can actually take territory. Take over cities. Assault capital cities. Even just randomly wander on a not set range. What I'd give to play an mmo where I have the chance to be randomly jumped by (level appropriate) NPCs. Even outside of a place they're normally found.

This adds dynamic change to the world. It's not a static area. It makes it so that beginner zones are abandoned as soon as most level out of them. You need to make sure NPCs don't take over the city because you need that flight path/horse route/etc.

We could even have animal infestations. People aren't killing farmer bill's rats? They take over the farm and whatever he supplies isn't available in the local city's stores.

There are so many things that can be done with NPCs to make the world feel alive and more dynamic. Again, I'm not the hero here. I'm just an adventurer, a normal mercenary, that is trying to keep the enemy in line or the rat population from getting out of control.