Great graphic and character balanced game, that took too many wrong directions.
Favored character classes such as the Necromancer began getting the degrade hammer starting with 1.05 patches. With characters having a choice of two possible directions to follow, the favored fun side to many of these characters started receiving the downgrades. The balanced Necromancer pet spec versus nightfall, received a boost in the pet spec, while the more popular nightfall side degraded. To the many established nightfall players it was devastating enough to leave the game, versus the forced shift to play pet spec.
Being a player with multiple maxed characters this became the norm. Demonologist favored fire side of the tree forced to lightning side and eventually degraded more with longer times on casting. Tos one day doing 3000 point hits logging in the next day to do 1000 point hits in exact same location, and forced to other tree design.
Being the top rank pv level in a large guild, the ranger revamp was the final blow for me with loosing any will to play the other degraded characters. The clout skill doing 40k damage to multiple targets changed to a 2k hit on a single target on lower level test subjects. Every favored skill removed such as salvo, flesh ripper, linebreaker doing multiple target hits if feated etc. The amazing thing is, the ranger pvp side was extremely over powered, and actually drove many away from the game. Being a op character in pvp had its fun moments, it just was more important and fun to play a balanced character on all sides and battles. This all due to players asking for a better combat system, but leave all else alone.
With chosen advocates of characters in the game that mainly play pvp these were the results the ranger received. While hitting multiple targets for a ranger solo hunting, or in helping be effective in the many multiple target raids, was part of the ranger and its survival. Added to this was the highly sought after armor to boost stats, including things such as negative hate, that helped stop making you a target, versus the tank holding agro in raids. With a strong player request to do something about the long grinds in getting the last few pieces of armor, tokens were introduced. These used to buy a piece of missing armor when collecting so many.
The collapse:
Tokens collected by raid leaders or small number cliques, leaving no avenue to general population, many times. Shrine of bori introduced to pvp zones, leaving just top guilds on servers controlling the area to pound rocks for pvp ranks (crafting function). A drive away of pvp players who liked pvp, to get slaughtered by rock pounders with no skill wiping them out with rank armor. Pvp minis being controlled by pre-made groups -(now been changed).
Godslayer build brought a minor new feat tree to receive bits of the skills lost to characters above. Characters still not balanced and forced mainly to play one side of the tree, at least efficiently. Characters like the ranger being changed and these feats randomly being given points by funcom in skills not wanted with no recovery of points. Overpowering ranger in pvp, with unbalance to character having point cost skills now only effective in pvp, and a waist in raids. Introduction of new 6 man quests to receive these missing armor pieces at a non-realistic grind of 1000 or so times in hard mode. Lost to raid development, as tier 2, 3 opened. All no gear new comers skip low level raids but to get keyed for higher level dungeons. Competing with developed characters carrying the weight, for end prize. Long grind new mounts and such introduced came with no skills, and when I left, fun skills were still locked except for pvp only servers.
To end, the game was amazing and had the most potential of any I had ever seen. Characters still can play such things as use of fire, but if you wish to get in raids and gear, many characters will be forced to play the stronger style of the character. Pvp consists of joining the controlled border lands guild. Any time ya get a favored style of play and skills, be ready to change at any moment entirely. If playing a weak class, don't plan on much improvement while other characters get tweaked. Game graphics, performance is great. The dynamics of overall results ends in just out-right tragedy. Be Aware of falling into the trap of paying months ahead on reduced deals, that the character you may love will be changed to what you don't want at all at any moment. This is a review of where you may be after a month or so and a more end game setting. In all fairness, I have been away for a number of months to any newer changes.