Dude, you say re-install and take a break

I've re-installed...why would time fix it if it wasn't broken...what is the step you accuse me of missing, exactly?

Thank you for trying to help me during my belligerent bender. I agree, it might be a good time to take a break.

Figured I would give a "polite" note about the login process, before the reservoir dogs climb in and start chewing your ankles off. ;)

You were able to login to the eqemu (public) login server, with your eqemu login accounts and "see" the server list. Your client uses port 5998 or 5999 to connect to that public login server. But once you choose a server and click on it, that loginserver drops your client connection, as you enter the world on that server. Once that happens, EQEmulator has nothing to do with your client, or account anymore. It's literally handed over to the server you chose to log on to.

Your client enters that server world mainly through port 9000 or 9001, depending on the individual server config. In most cases, if the client can't get through to that world, it will get kicked back to the login screen, usually with someone sitting at their computer experiencing a "WTF moment".

FACT: There are many different reasons this can happen, but the most common one is not getting through on that port. (You can see tons of this issue posted all over these forums)

Sometimes it can be simple, sometimes not. In one case scenario (documented on these forums), a random Win 10 update started taking up port 9001, wreaking havoc for EQ clients.
In other case scenarios, it was a router or a cable modem, firewall, or an ISP issue. Many, many different reasons, but troubleshooting, is the pain in the ass, especially when one doesn't understand why it just happened for no reason.

First thing someone might want to do, is looking at the client log file. First, if you go into your Everquest client folder, in logs folder is a file called dbg.txt. Delete it. Then log your client on, replicating the issue, but the moment it gets kicked back, stop there and look at the newly generated (dbg.txt) log file. It will usually show an error of not being able to log into the world. (example-"Failed to authenticate world .....etc, etc).

As far as your issue, with a vpn "quick fix", does not imply the worst. You problem is not something new. Unfortunately, topics on these forums get buried over the years and it can be difficult to search for answers. Even worse, someone will post a problem and indicate that it was fixed, without letting everyone else know what the solution was.

Thank you, I will spend time this weekend doing what you suggested. I will post an update and hopefully can manage to resolve this. The timing of it all really got to me. I have so much time invested, I think i started seeing ghosts lol, and needed a reality check. Thanks again.

This is resolved...thank you for the help.

I checked the log file, and the attempts made without the vpn would be rejected at trying to communicate with the world. Also, wow, I had no idea how much is exchanged in the login process. Fascinating, with so much going on under the hood.

I just had to update my router firmware. That's it. After all this time playing, and on a random night I blacked out, it just only seemed like it was much worse than it is. It has been a while since I made a router firmware update. Maybe some bad data was cleared out. I don't think that would have changed my IP either, though after going through this trial and error I'll take better notes next time... Wish I knew exactly why it worked, for curiosity's sake, but I'll take it!