EQ2: XP the little bar that could

Hidden deeply embedded in code is the biggest carrot in all MMO's; that driving factor to become bigger, bader, better....UBER! Able to make you kill Venekor solo beyond the grave, more likely to get you a divorce quicker then a 2$ hooker fling in Vegas, Stronger then the smell of that cat box you let sit there for the last 2 weeks. XP

Experience points is why most play this game weather they admit it or not. I don't think anyone would play a game for long with out that push forward, the feeling of a small yet very gratifying accomplishment. No one knows that rush better then a newbie, when they feel like they are actually doing something in a world so alien to them they are still awed by the massive world they just entered. I believe most get the gratification now from learning to do tedious chores (quests of killing ten rats) and getting the DING** it's the single biggest driving factor... The little bar that could. Then comes loot but that's for another post

With that said shortly there will be a free XP weakend* it begs the question... Why?

I understand the server was down, I'm from Befallen it's been down the most here recently. Do I need some sort of apology for them fixing and helping to make a game better and more communitive by throwing XP at me? Do they feel obligated or is it a tactic to keep people playing? I seriously have a hard enough time with burning up my Double XP as it is and I've played the past 9 days strait. I still have my XP potions in my inventory and they are just sitting there looking back at me taking up space.. I've seriously thought about using them just to open up a few slots. I think a /claim for these type of things is more in order if they feel obligated at giving us free XP every time things like this come up.

I love to level up as much as the next person and like anyone else likes to find the quickest route to my next level if there is a sweet spell calling my name... **God bless Topor** Though most the time I stop to smell the roses, I'm more of an explorer, the harder it is to explore the more I want to go there and loot/XP matters very little to me at that point.

Ok back to XP, why am I bringing all this up? I've got a few question that I feel SOE may never answer but I'm gonna ask them anyhow. How come XP is thrown at us? Why is it not a quest reward of sorts? Why isn't there and option to shut off Double XP for those like me that don't like it? I feel it's an attempt at appeasing those that don't play much and it seems as though Double XP has been broke a lot. It's either to much, not enough, or never goes away and stays stuck at 0.1% I understand there is math involved but lets just make this easy... get rid of it.

I know I may be in the minority here but this is one of those things I feel should be earned every step of the way. I'm all for Quest reward double XP potions, I'm even for letting them be tradable so that a friend can save them up for a buddy he wants to mentor and help him catch up. I'm all for items that can be earned and have charged doses of double XP but, I just don't see why SOE feels as though something gained without earned is respected.