Sorrow

You can get Atmospheric Exp Buff by being in the same map and I am sure most people don't mind sharing it.
Perm pets aren't a big deal either since hard hilla drops 90-day pet.

It's no doubt p2w, but you have to think about this game's future as well. This game needs some form of p2w to a degree that is acceptable, to continue getting as much content as we get. Most games don't update as frequently as this or get cross over events, things like that.

Aren't there free phone apps that can give you a phone number and let you call/text? Meaning anyone can still register a new account regardless.

Slurpy is optimal for Evans. If you're lacking Arcane Force then seek to improve it and train where you will be 1.5x the required Arcane Force as it makes monsters hit 1 damage to you and you will deal 1.5x the damage. It is highly recommended that you do your dailies for your symbols as all content moving forward for Arcane River requires AF.

I trained in Slurpy Forest Depth. How fast you train can be influenced by many things. Such as: Kishin, Exp rate, if you can one hit kill, etc ...

I wish they would introduce daily quests that give node stones. Similar to how we have dailies for symbols.