Seeing as I've done nothing but spam this thread i'll give some feedback as to what I think made village successful.
The hometown, for sure, was completly different (past bichon) and interesting. The caves were new and lvling and boss hunting was fun and pretty easy-going.
I think the keyword is easy-going. The stats made pvp alot fairer and more fun, para's / pro's were still rare ish so it was still good fun and wasn't spoiled. The events such as those TreasureBox ones were awesome, getting a rare is always a buzz.
But I think the community was what did it, it was quite friendly. Dunno wtf happened though, seeing as I left after being screwed over by a friend.
That's what made village fun to me.