Yeah and I did Chronicles, fought of invasions and gathered artifacts before I did some instant adventures. Those were the days!
Anyways, the things you listed vindicator are things I EXPECT from an MMO. I do not want a random sandbox. What it comes down to is how well made the 5 mans, daily "quests", pvp and raids are. And even tho there is no competitive pvp in Rift, I sure do enjoy my warfronts. Never had that feeling in other games. Also the game succeeds in creating immersion, which makes or breaks a game for me..