I do get the overall sense of EQ from it though. When winter hits and I can't ride my bike I'm going to need something to take up some of my time that's spent away from my other hobby, so this could be a good downtime thing to do. What's really going to matter is the high level content. How is that looking at level 40 Lyion? Are there quests and such similar in fashion to EQ, something that I can do on weekends and still get it done with friends or guildmates?
First, the game doesn't change radically as you level, but there are some VERY nice instanced dungeons, and some good quests. Many quests are the whack a mole variety, but there are others. You can make progress soloing, but its not nearly as fast as grouping, especially at higher levels.
A problem is if your friends play hardcore, and you don't, they'll vastly outlevel you. Levelling is quick, but gets more and more time consuming. Blizzard had a nice setup for casual gamers, and I hope they re evaluate the exp bonus, because as of now it does nothing to bridge the gap.
The EQ influence is very up front, and if you are looking for EQ done right, then WOW delivers, hands down. The quests are good, levelling is <was> simple, and the game through the 40s is based on small group combat.
I'm guessing that the endgame will be similar to the Epic Encounters we went through in EQ, with twists and turns. The designers are pretty much hardcore PVE people, and so PVP does not seem to be a priority, nor is it being looked at much right now.
My gripe, which some agree with and others don't, is that this game is essentially EQ2 in the Warcraft Universe. Your goal is to acquire items, level from 1 to 60, go through dungeons and get a guild/group together to do the EQ thing.
I am an old school pen and paper guy. My preference is for an AD&D Clone game with more traditional classes, and a more D&D feel. Warcraft essentially takes much from EQ, but is in the Warcraft Universe.
I think WOW will replace EQ, DAOC, and AC for a lot of people, as it's a better made game than these. However, I'm at the point where I'm not looking for an EQ replacement.