loved my time in Classic but in retrospect, my fondness was just for my guild.
The social aspect and the game being slower are intrinsically tied together. Having to run to the dungeon and then wait 15 min til a straggler shows up lets you know the people you are playing with in ways that modern MMOs and their gogogo playstyle just don’t allow.
Classic was full of systems that intentionally put the social aspect of the game front and center.
Worst part of reading this is that I do not remember the year. Or the patch number. But Im fairly positive I know exactly about what you are talking about.