I haven't played in 4 years and as a recent (maybe not for long) returnee, I'd like to take a look back and remember the "good old days".
5-6 years ago, in PvE:
Factions and Nightfall were far away and all that mattered was getting an FDS, no matter the stats, just getting the FDS!
Necros were considered useless. If the forum hasn't pruned it all, I bet there still are the complaining threads. Blood and curses were considered weak and minion masters a gimmick. The only way to get into a team was if you could BiP the monks and elementalists.
Mesmers were for PvP only. Mesmers with full FoW armor were bold people. To me, end-game sightings of mesmers demanded respect. Some people were open minded or even smart (?) and accepted mesmers in their teams, but those were like people helping an old blind lady cross the street.
Elementalists were nukers, they did the damage.
Nobody liked rangers, well, some things don't change huh. Well, the rangers obviously liked rangers but the game seemed to be more tank-nuker-monk. Also, they still used traps back then!
Warriors were required tanks. Every team needed one. Wammos with mending were abundant but the smart (?) ones were stance tanks with dolyak signet and armor of earth. I don't think there was an AR limit back then.
Warriors with a vamp weapon never got heals by the monks. It was how it was done.
Monks were the gods who called the shots because without monks, you had to take the healer henchman of deaths.
People worried mostly about having infused armor against mursaat and farming gryphons and minotaurs in the desert. 55monks were rich and people still made big money from common crafting materials.
Droknars was the place to be, next to Lions Arch. Ascalon was for nooblers.
People knew who prince Rurik was.
Running to droks was big business for pros who had their own expensive schools.
Warriors all still wore one piece of knights armour.
You could still see what the stats of armour was just by looking at what the guy was wearing.
Noobs struggled in unity as they died to wave after wave of mursaat and fat things in thunderhead keep.
Frenzy was the first skill you got, and everyone knew about it, except the warriors themselves.
PvP players all kind of looked the same.
GvG world championships were a big deal
War Machine used mending
Guilds had less goofy, more memorable names and recycled themselves less.
Becoming Ascended made you feel like awesome.
We never really killed Glint.
Then Factions came along.
Nobody liked having assassins in their PvE teams unless they came to prophecies. Assassins pwned Prophecies. They were not the new warrior.
Necromancers had already become accepted by then, but really went mainstream after the Flesh Golem.
Warriors tiger stanced and dragon slashed and triple chopped their way through everything. They also got batman armour.
Rangers were ok, I don't think rangers ever really evolved... except, that devolution to the touch ranger. Suddenly rangers were necros!
Monks were still Mayor of town but felt threatened by ritualists, the progressive party.
Mesmers could change their outfits more often.
Elementalists still were nukers.
Alliance battles and faction runs were races against the other alliances to get the urgoz or deep towns. Getting the highest faction was key and even though the boss door didn't open yet, we tried anyway.
We bought a lot of discount keys.
Victory road made you feel heroic, but also a little empty inside.
Kurdicks and Suxons!
Unwaking Waters brought us all back together again.
Nightfall came and brought us more dudes with skirts. Then GWEN came and we brought her flowers.
And here we are today.
"Warriors are bad"
Elementalists aren't the damagedealers anymore.
Necros necros everywhere. Monks share their kingdom with the rest of the people, like the lame duck kings of today's European monarchies. Hero monks are just fine.
Mesmer, come join us.
Rangers still are lonely, that's why we give them pets to keep them company. (jk, I like rangers, I like everything)
Dervish dervish everywhere, spinning and spinning and spinning...
People actually play Jade Quarry now.
And they know what to do in Fort Aspenwood!
Ah, the good old days. How things have changed, some for better, some for worse. All in all, it's still G.W., ever changing, ever evolving, ever eating itself and growing back to compensate.
For Ascalon!
. Luxon used to own FA because they simply rolled the NPC's. 
