EQ2 is/was a flop.
SoE is just dumb. All that effort, time, and money could have been spent on EQ1 and it would have paid off for them (and us) in the long run.
If they totally revamped/upgraded the newbie experience, say 1-50, they could have got the new player/casual player they were aiming for in EQ2, into EQ1.
Looks like they are heading in this direction now, though. Which is nice.
Long live EverQuest!