I barely played from like, 2012 to late 2015.
I never sold anything, I just, didn't really ever log in any more.
I had my fill one day, I can't even remember what happened, another 50% return crafting run or something, it was just the last straw I wasn't interested. For three years I logged in now and then to keep my account active, see if any old friends were on, and maybe just look at some scenery or click a couple times. No spark, as you say. I almost never stayed online more than an hour.
Since late 015 something happened (again, not sure specifically what) like an event that caught my attention or an item they added, caused me to come in game for a while, and I wound up going to do a bunch of new missions they had added on cyrene.
Then I got into some of the noob missions they added in Calypso, and wound up on Toulan doing all the new player content there. Wound up spending a month on RT doing missions and stuff, anyways let me get to the point.
MA actually has added a LOT of stuff to this game, in this time. A lot of is newplayer stuff. A lot of it is silly or seems like a rehash of other systems. But the game isn't stagnating. It's just crap you aren't thinking about when you're a long time mid to high level player who's bored. There was a few months of exploring and gameplay for me to do since I was playing a little here and there, not 8 hour stretches like a comfortably addicted grinder.
By the end of it, having visited or revisited every planet, consumed all of the new mission chains and tasks, trying out a bunch of the new items, and all that I had sort of a different relationship with EU. It was clear that SOMEONE had been working on the game and while some of the oldest problems still exist the new stuff, new place, and new systems were a heavy factor.
Now I'm a comfortably casual player, when I think of EU, I may come log in. Sometimes it 5 mins and I'm like "ehhhhhh..." and just log out. Sometimes I end up playing for several hours or intently for a period of days, but when the desire/stimulation is over I don't feel that pressure to "make something happen". If I deposit, it's a conscious decision to spend a couple bucks, I'm not playing myself like it's an investment or just a stopgap to get me to that next "loot event".
So, to the point of this rambling.
It's OK to get bored. It's no fun, but it's normal to get jaded. How long have you been playing again? Take a break.
EU IS NOT ALL OR NOTHING
So, go do something else for a while. You don't have to quit because you're not going to log in for a few days or weeks. You're bored take a break. What other thing have you spent the amount of hours on, that you ahve spent on EU, in this time frame? Most people don't intently pursue a single activity for years on end and expect it to still be engrossing and exciting.
Just to be clear OP this is not a personal statement about you I'm not familiar with your activities or RL obviously at all. But this addresses what I see a lot of people seeming to go through. Any new MMO is engrossing for a while. More for some, less for others but the expectation of perpetual, engrossing, obsessively interesting content is not likely to materialize anywhere. But after a time the excitement wears off. Again, this is totally normal, and probably healthy for you.
People are emotionally driven to seek love and company, but even oxytocin wears thin after a while and those that have been depending on "excitement" to overcome all other emotions or considerations end up bored.
I mean, if you're going to get a "seven year itch" even with a gorgeous, interesting, helpful, well matched life partner, WTF is a video game supposed to provide to keep you at a level of interest like "engrossed" for over a decade? This isn't a shortcoming of MA, IMO. This is a basic feature of humanity.
So, relax. Sure dump some "hot" items or big money gear you're hlding that's likely to fade fomr the market as new stuff rolls in, but hold on to your basic gear, and FFS don't sell out your avatar. Listen to all the stories here and everywhere. If you're just bored, need something different for a while, whatever, take a break. Don't "quit" and sell out unless you're pissed off enough or really confident that you're SURE you won't be coming back.
Even if you're pretty sure, give it 30 - 60 days of no playing before you start to sell out. And in the end I advise you to keep your skills and enough gear to go out on a whim and have a decent (but not intense) hunt or mining run if you get the whim. Then go away. Just like that. We're not breaking up. You don't have to apologize or explain to me why or for how long. And besides, you'll be back. It's cool ...
MA will remind you to log in now and then, or you'll see something that makes you want to hunt. You won't be confident that you want to start up again so if you depo for ammo you'll now it's a spend, not a requirement to cycle cycle cycle. And you'll get bored again in a few hours, probably, and be like "oh yeah this is why I stopped".
Maybe one day you'll find yourself playing again, and really eager to get back on after. Maybe you won't. The truth is it's not that important. EU isn't your wife. EU can't actually be your life.
There's a few other posts here making variations on this same point, and how they came out of the "infatuated" stage, went through the "in love" phase, got to "bored" and still managed to leave without blaming EU for not being able to be their all and their everything for an entire lifetime. And those people (myself included) end up with a very different, more stable, and longer lasting relationship with the game. Because it's just a game and it's easier now for me to remember it's place.
Still on this allegory but it's truly like a relationship. Most never last past the first year anyways. But if you get bored and frustrated and upset but blame the other person and it turns into a fight and a nasty breakup then you also lose all of the good times.
EU is like that old ex for me now who's still a truly great friend because we didn't tear each other apart and after we got some space I can remember all the good times and the reasons that I fell in love with her in the first place without feeling like I need to get back there.
So get some space, and let the frustration settle down. Find something else to do. Treat it like a drug and tell yourself you're not allowed to log in for a month. DEFINITELY don't log in for two weeks and by then see how much you actually miss it with your new, freer perspective.
This is, basically complaining that you aren't receiving permanent, ongoing emotional fulfillment from an MMO after more than a decade of play. I'm not making fun or trying to insult, and again it's not particular to this OP or thread. I've been there, and done that, and looking back I realize the fault was never MAs.
So now when I'm bored I call up EU and she's always up for SOMETHING so we get together for a couple hours.
Sometimes it's a piece of shit with too much baggage and problems and after an hour of everything sucking I don't call back for a month.
Last time I depo'd 1k ped and wound up hunting LT for 1-4 hours a day solid for nearly two weeks of good, engrossing entertainment.
In any case I'm better able to keep my perspective about the fact that this is a relationship and it's a very one sided one. That's just the deal and it always has been. Expecting something different is really just setting yourself up for disappointment.
So no need for a big fight or fuss, with a bunch of name calling and blame throwing and shade. Take a break until you realize that you're "in a place" right now and EU has, it sounds like, provided you with more fun, entertainment, and memories (good and bad) than any other single video game or leisure activity has possibly in your entire life.
Anyways you can't really look back on any addiction OR relationship until you've gotten some distance, and gotten over any withdrawals (chemical or emotional). So you do that and then take a look at things before you destroy your account of that wierd combo of boredom and frustration over something that's not actually a realistic, or even reasonable expectation.
TL;DR: It's ok, what you're feeling is normal. Take a break, get some distance and your perspective will likely improve. In the meantime, don't burn all of your bridges just because it doesn't still feel like a new love after 5-10 years.
And once more with the touchy stuff but to be clear I intend no attack on OP or anyone else, this isn't judgement here it's just a colorful explanation of my experience and others I have seen.
Hopefully one or more people currently in this boat will find the perspective helpful.