I don't agree on your take about new players.
The catch to a new player when he jumps into a game is
apart from the game features that they choose to enter)
1.) Are there players like me running around actively trying to complete storyline.
2.) The shiny stuff that maxed players are wearing... What do I have to do to obtain them.
3.) Is there Endgame content.
4.) Should I spend some money to gain some advantage and bling.
This is what I look for. And these are the trends which you are aware too...
1.)Most of the low level maps are empty.
Even with the easy leveling up introduced by STS.
2.) Once they realise the inflation and the amount of gold required to get somewhere, that's a hopeless thought which does not need explaining.
3.)Endgame content is ONLY there. No content through leveling till endgame which is a grind to even veterans and imagine a newbie sticking through that... I don't see a possibility.
4.) If the person still likes the feels of the game and plans strongly to invest into the game... The plat he buys will show how insignificant it amounts to... In the overall player base comparison.
As I feel there's a big shift of players all into the multiple hundreds of millions which is too far fetched for even mediocre playing players of the game.
Overall a new player would be lost.. As in any mmo but AL makes it too hard.
Trade permits stops many ilicit practices but Is bad for new players for sure since trading is the reason I still play this game.. A game changing feature not present in most mmorpgs to this extent. Kudos to the team for that.
Apart from the negative aspects, level scrunch is an improvement for new players.
The gold drops are too insignificant at lower levels and there's only a handful of maps that too endgame which gives good gold.
That too requires hefty investments for goldloot gear and a play gear, which at this point is no bang for buck because of the recent trend of loss in value of gears for warriors mainly.
More so the strategy to invest into expensive vanities and showoff for a while and wait for the manipulators to do their job to highrail the item into more digits.
No loss investment...and raises more faster than anyone can farm away endgame and inflate faster.
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