This comment I found on a blade and soul video pretty much somes this game in retail.
"Most video game have repetitive combat. You usually use your most powerful abilities over and over again. The problem with the new generation of MMO is that your character is basically only good at doing one thing. The same thing. Over and over again. It also often more about luck and you gear rather than pure skill and knowledge of every class. I mean there`s 8 class in the game lmao. We`re far from the 45 class of DaoC.
In UO you had a mage book with over 60 spell. Of course you did not use all these spell during combat, but each spell was worth something. Your character was not locked into the same pattern. You also could be anything else. Being a simple warrior was fun.
In DaoC you had positional and reactive combat abilities, realm abilities, artifact abilities. Daoc combat seem to be boring and slow for the untrained eyes. Unless you truly experienced it yourself. It was fast paced and strategic. A wizard could 3 -4 shot you in less than 6 sec. Yet all it took was to interrupt him. W wiz send a bolt of fire toward a shield wearing tank ? Engage him and take half the damage etc.
Now you watch all these new mmo with shiny cool looking abilities, but it shallow when you play it. You realize how much limited the gameplay is. Because you`re stunlocked into the limitation of the gameplay mechanic.
The thing is. These old game you actually had to prepare and manage yourself. That how you were successful in pvp. Now these game are all about spaming your most powerful abilities more often than he does. MMo are too much casual today. Too easy too learn and too fast to get bored with.."