This game is like a hamster wheel, taking years, doing the same quests over and over to raise the levels of all your skills, boundaries and equipment. The alternative is to sink thousands upon thousands of dollars into the game to buy the more elite gear and items to level more quickly. It is no surprise that items to allow individuals to automatically level their character are made available at a very high cost. It is 100% Pay2Win.
It has a very elitist culture. With PWE constantly removing the ability for individuals to be able to get squads, due to inferior equipment, they make it more difficult for struggling players by removing items from being able to be earned from a solo endeavour making it very difficult to progress in this game. Other players constantly ask that you show your weapon before granting you an invitation to a squad.
Items that were previously able to be earned through tasks in game are removed and put into the cash shop on a regular basis. This can make it difficult or more likely impossible to be able to improve your gear or abilities without paying real world money, when coming late to the game, due to established players having been able to acquire it more easily.
Many elite players have confessed to spending between $5,000 and $15,000 to be able to compete within PvP. PvP has become incredibly unbalanced, with characters that are over powered able to take out characters that were originally designed as tanks in game with a single blow.
The company has been mismanaging its games for many years now. This has been reflected in the great many lay offs of employees in the company, the rapid decline in its share prices and the closing of many of its divisions. Servers have been merged many times over the years, with only one quarter of the servers remaining now, due to only having one eighth of the population they once had. It is estimated that many of the games that PWE support won't last more than 2 to 3 years, so investing time or money in their games would be a complete waste.
I have played this game for 9 years and have seen it go from being one of the greatest MMO’s to the mess that it is now. I more than anyone would love to see someone come on board with the courage to do what is necessary to turn this game around. I had many family and friends that used to play this game, that have all quit and never anticipate returning. Although I loved playing this game, even I can’t encourage others to play this game with a clear conscience.
Don't be mislead by individuals that lie and tell you that elite gear can be easily obtained for free, they have an ulterior motive. The population of this game is dying at an incredible rate and those that have spent countless hours and thousands of dollars will do anything to keep it alive, even trying to encourage others to join by feeding them lies about how simple it is to not spend money and achieve high level gear and abilities. Unless your idea of a great weekend is being constantly one shot by these individuals, I would highly advise trying another game. Unfortunately greed and selfishness dominate this game.
Other games that won't have your bank manager calling you in a hysteric and allow you to compete on a more even playing field more quickly would be "Tera" or "Elder Scrolls Online".