>>724080258
You missed the golden era 20 years ago. You missed the second golden era 12 years ago when the May 2007 backup of the world state was re-released.
Yet it's still somehow the best MMO for socializing and questing that isn't just "Kill 50 bears and bring their balls to me."
Seriously, if it's your first time ever playing Runescape, do the quests. Some are pretty mundane and boring, but most have some cheeky dialouge and a level of attention and soulfullness to them that make them very memorable (for better or worse shilo village).