Question from an old/ and possibly returning player!!

[Shwish]

The person above me pretty much summed it up but I'll throw my 2 cents into the bucket anyway.

Originally Posted by KappaKing

1) Would I still need to mindlessly grind on mobs to level up so that I may get to pvp? How long would it take me to reach max level in order to start enjoying pvp with a group?

Unfortunately yes, gaining levels is still as much of a pain as it used to be. However on the Haven server we do have regular server-wide experience boosts which can be pretty effective when stacking it with booster scrolls. The speed at which you level is directly proportional the sum of how much time you're willing to spend on grinding a day and how much cash you're willing to spend on levelling up.

Originally Posted by KappaKing

2) Is this game gear dependent? FOR EXAMPLE: At high rank, will someone with orange gear get beaten by someone in purple gear despite the guy in orange having better skill sets and tactics?

There is a degree of gear dependancy in this game but it honestly isn't as bad as some other games I've played. Its also dependant on what class you decide to play. A mage is pretty much fine with any gear where as there's a big gap between a well geared marksman and a poorly geared one. Fortunately skill does outweigh gear on this game (as far as I've experienced) and a leet geared player can easily be overwelmed by someone who doesn't give him any room to breath.

Originally Posted by KappaKing

3)Is this game pay to win? I know there is a cash shop, but does it give you a significant advantage against others or is it all cosmetics? For example, does everyone get a basic mount? if not, I would see that as an unfair advantage as the people who payed real money for a mount have greater speed while the other have to walk. I.E. catching up to enemy or getting to location X before them etc

I would say "Not really" pay to win. Its true that players willing to pay for boxes has a better chance of attaining epic/legendary/magical gear, but the real problem of overgeared players comes from boss jewellery which cannot be purchased legally via premium. On a side note, dont rely too much on premium boxes because you'll end up pulling your hair out.

Originally Posted by KappaKing

4) How is the community in game? the Clans? Leets vs Casual gamers?

The community's awesome. Probably the best I've experienced in an mmorpg. Sure we have our fair share of trolls,village idiots, elitist and complete morons but you'll find majority of the players are very friendly and more than willing to welcome a new face.

Originally Posted by KappaKing

5) If i decide to join, which server would I go to? which side? Any side that is the underdog? if so why?
Also, which class? I seem to like barbarian so far but 8 years ago i used to play KNIGHT. If my knight is on a spanish or german server and I would like to bring him on a english server, would this be possible? ( I forgot where he was stationed)

I haven't been online in a while so i can't really answer this question. Population balances change all the time so its hard to say which realm or server you should go for, but if English is your primary language I would go for Haven. As for classes, play the one that appeals to you the most, don't let anyone make that descision for you because if you enjoy the playstyle of that particular class, you'll be good at. With that said, barbarians are ridiculously overpowered.