Mobs never used to give up the chase so quick. In games like EverQuest, mobs never stopped following until you ‘zoned’ (a concept also becoming foreign these days). Zoning meant crossing the invisible threshold into another ‘zone’ (that’s where the name came from, btw) which gave a loading screen. While annoying, this simple concept had incredible influence over so many aspects of the game.
Dungeons were downright deadly. Going too deep meant your entire group would have to zone if you got aggro you couldn’t kill. Not only would that mob chase the person it aggroed on, but it would probably hate anyone who looked at it along the way.
Zone size was an important consideration. A huge zone meant you had to run really, really far. You couldn’t always outrun the mobs either, so if you were too far from a zone line you might be screwed. I was always – always – keeping in mind where the zone line was so that I could make my escape if a train came by or I quickly found myself outgunned.
Speed buffs mattered. Spirit of the Wolf wasn’t just a travel luxury, it was always a survival mechanic. Given the aforementioned points, run speed was almost mandatory for some situations.
Pulling was possible. Groups used to sit in a corner of the zone and send out one person to grab monsters and bring them back. Players could sit down, claim a spot, socialize, and just kill mobs. Certain classes were also “pullers” giving that mechanic life.
That one seemingly smaller mechanic made a huge impact. A lot of people are quick to say how annoying it was that mobs didn’t stop chasing, or simply dismiss the mechanic as old, but look at the result of mobs leashing. You can take almost all of these points and flip them around and see the opposite. I know it’s not “this is why things are the way they are,” but it’s worth taking note of the little things that have an impact on our games.