Having a rather biased opinion of what I wanted/expected from this game due to having played it's prequel for years, I must say i was rather shocked. At first I thought it was just a crappy Korean Cash Shop WoW clone with Ragnarok imagery, but was i quite wrong. It DOES feature some of these things, but does so with a style and flair that was quite unexpected. At first you will think otherwise, but after a few hours of leveling and exploration you soon learn that this is a whole other beast. Quest based leveling without the grind is a nice plus, not to mention the PvP that is alot of fun to participate in. The cash shop is not a requirement to compete/enjoy the game, but is there for those who want it. VIP is only 9 bucks a month, and worth every penny as well. It's enjoyable without putting a penny of real world money into it, and even more fun if you do. All in all, RO2 is not as cheesy and crappy as it appears, and the endgame content for gear is also pretty fun for what it is. Give it a shot. The community is nice, helpful, welcoming, and much like the previous game MAKES this title worth playing for hours on end.