I can't remember my starting race/class but it was on Faydwer. After just a few minutes I saw a high elf mage with his pet out that looked so cool. I asked what he was and he told me and I promptly created one too. A friend (bard) who played and introduced me to the game decided to show me the way to Freeport. I had no idea what I was doing so he came and met me in front of the Felwithe gates before I'd even reached high enough level to summon a pet (let alone afford the required Malachite) and we ran through Greater Faydark for what seemed like forever. There were no maps of any sort and he said he was leading the way by recognizing landmarks along the way but it all just looked like random trees to me. We eventually came to a gap in a wall and zoned into Butcherblock. He kept us on the path playing Selo's Accelerando all the way to the docks. By the time we got there it felt like 20 minutes had passed and I'd seen so much. As we ran up near the water he showed me a vendor and I went towards the beach in between the Freeport and what would eventually be the Kunark docks when a couple aqua goblins charged at me and I immediately died.
I ended back up in Felwithe and my friend came back and got me. After a while we made it to Freeport I stumbled around getting lost until I eventually got my bearings and killed a few rats and spiders in front of the east Freeport gate. After getting level 4 I asked around for the mage guild as I was told I could purchase my spells there. I bought my water pet and summoned it in front of the gates after figuring out how spell reagents worked. I still remember the screenshot I took and wish I still had it.
This was all some time in 1999. I remember all the people in Oasis were talking about Kunark when I was hunting there somewhere between 16-19. I got the expansion shortly after it launched so I could join my in-game friends in the Lake of Ill Omen. I keep leveling and playing up to 60. My last adventures were following a friend's guild around (not very far in to) the Temple of Veeshan.
I made a friend back then that I still talk to online.
My absolute favorite times in the game were exploring Crystal Caverns. Close behind is the Tower of Frozen Shadow and Mistmoore Castle. That game had an immersion factor that I'd never experienced before.
I'm hoping the next evolution of MMOs will be designed around VR, say Oculus, coupled with the difficulty level and hands-off, explore it yourself take on games that the original Everquest game and From Software currently gives us with the Souls/Bloodborne games.