The grind and paywall to a lot of things suck.

BUT the player base is really cool as long as you avoid the PVP areas.

Well… If you play by the rules, the grind is miserable and will take decades to reach lvl 50. If you are willing to break the rules and exploit other players, the grind is much more manageable but it still takes just as long to hit the next lvl. You do have to be careful because the more rules you break, the higher your wanted level goes, and the police aren’t really big on taking players to jail, if you get my meaning.

The only current “winning” strategy on this server is to be lucky and/or resourceful enough early in the game so that you have enough money to be above the law. If you hit level 10 and don’t already have a few million $ in the bank, you’re in for a long grind.

It’s pay to even play, pay way more to win.