Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with the state of the game and class mechanics. There’s a lot of depth to future content and exp mechanics with over killing, class buffs, and blue mobs makes leveling pretty easy, despite what the vocal minority of players are saying. Reaching maximum level doesn’t have to be a thing that takes you a month and then you’re done. This isn’t the kind of game where there’s a gear treadmill to run once you’re done leveling, and leveling is just a hindrance to getting on that treadmill. Classes actually have differences between them that matter so so much when leveling that all these people are overlooking and instantly complaining about when they miss it. Archers get +20% damage per bow mastery level to air mobs, yet every archer levels on ground targets, it’s insanity. For the first time in years, it actually takes time to level up. You can take the time to stop and upgrade and invest in gear early on. You get to spend time in the areas that the dev team has taken their time crafting. You can actually stay in those places and meet people and make friends! You can go on an adventure, explore and fill out your logbook and find amazing things, work together to take down a high level shining mob; set down a base camp and stake your own claim on a section of the land for a while, kick back and relax at the food table with your buddies.
The people complaining about the state of the game, they’re not the type of people that will keep this game alive. They’re not the type of people who will stay around for years and be apart of the community. This game by default of the genre it is isn’t going to be a super mega popular game, it’s niche and it does it’s niche well and thus will live. If we give in to demands of these people, it’s going to break it’s niche and be split between serving two groups of people poorly instead of one group of people well. If this game keeps it’s niche, it’s going to be amazing and will definitely have a cult following for years; we haven’t had a game like this in America since RO, and I think those of us who are actually interested in what this game is and not what we want it to be know just how much RO’s fanbase stuck to that game. People like that, people like us… We want something that has a long term goal, we want something rewarding and lasting. We don’t want to hit max level and drop the game to move on to the next cashgrab, we want a home to make friends and enjoy the world in and as is, this game is going to be just perfect for that.
CBT1 has been some of the most promising time I’ve spent looking at a MMO in the longest time, ever since PoE launched nearly three years ago. Please don’t ruin this to cater to people who aren’t even going to stick around to keep the game alive in the first place. This game is a small niche and it needs it’s loyal core fanbase to keep it alive, and changing it away from what it is will drive many of those types of players away. There’s a million other MMOs to play if you want casual raid gear treadmilling, please don’t turn this into another bland themepark to nowhere like those other games. It’s perfect as-is. PoE has already proven that an immaculately made game mechanics-wise that targets a very specific niche can sustain itself on a F2P model that has a non pay-to-win cash shop. We can accomplish the same thing here. Focus on your niche, make it perfect, work on it with heart and soul and don’t bow to people who complain that it’s not what they want, and you’ll have yourself a success.