General Discussion

I think the only way to actually keep end game worthwhile is just never to put it in the game in the first place.

I think leveling and maxing out is somewhat overrated.  Even in sandbox games people want to get Awesome Skill 1 to the best it can be so they can have the edge over another player. 

Skill based+Skill based+Player Created Content

Thats the only way I see people sticking with a game for an extremely long amount of time.

Take away ridiculous modifiers, it makes things much easier to balance in PVP and everyone starts out the same.  Let anyone learn skills from a number of skillsets and then limit them to only using between 5 to 8 skills at any one time.  Have them search for skills and only be able to hold 20 skills in a skill deck so if they gain a new skill they have to replace a skill and if they want to learn it, to search for it again.  Make the game worth playing.

Make combat realtime and take away dice rolls.  Yes RPGs were built on it, but it can only take you so far.

Player created castles, and characters.  How great would it be to raid a castle created by a player, complete with traps and NPCs.  Now think about everyone being able to create a castle, thats enough dynamic raid content to last anyone for a very long time. 

As for stories.  Stories can easily be changed depending on what point of view you look at them from.  You can start a story about a war and look at it from the soldiers point of view, and follow the soldiers path.  Or you can look at it from the farmers point of view where fighting has broken out and ruined your land.  But no MMO really gives you those choices or those consequences.

You are what you are, and thats all there is to it.  You have strengths, weaknesses and levels, and you follow a single storyline with mild deviations depending on class.  Thats why games are so boring, because the adventure and enjoyment comes from solving a puzzle, or defeating a tough adversary. Without a challenge then we may as well sit around and eat ice cream, it's always good and you always win. 

Granted noone actually reads my posts, but thats my opinion anyways.