I changed my mind. I was mildly optimistic before, but now it's time for another rant, creatively named...
RENEWAL SUCKS AND IT SUCKS FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:
* Scaling up, not down:
Would you agree that monsters in original weren't strong enough? If you would, you're f*** crazy. 190 ASPD, Earthquake, 9999 Heal, Power Up, player skills, unique skills... do we really need even stronger s***? f*** no we don't. Every time new 3rd class comes out people look at the skills and go "WTF that's super imba". If you really have to make "place" for 3rd classes(see below), scale all the other classes DOWN, not entire system UP. bLevel 30~40 second job, blevel ~80 third job? Why not? Just adjust the XP.
* Third jobs vs. Trans:
Many people b**** about trans system, but I think it's a good idea. It gives players another endgame, and more importantly, it's one of the very few things that actually FIT in the RO universe. Except now we have 3rd jobs which roll all over it. Ooops! Suddenly becoming a f*** transcendental warrior of doom isn't the best s***, because 3rd jobbers take in anyone. And, of course, 3rd class skills absolutely rape trans, the only bonus is the +25% HP/SP. Is this supposed to make sense?
* Your new XP doesn't make any sense:
Seriously. What is the POINT of making the new XP system? What is the POINT of all the time spent re-balancing and re-adjusting all monsters and XP tables? It's one of the many "change for the sake of change" things in Renewal. Guess what, you still kill mobs, gain levels then move to stronger mobs. You still can't level efficiently at high levels without specialist equipment. Oh yeah, now at least some bizzaro Archer can't level up by plimking Kahos in Thors one death at a time. Whoop dee f*** doo, you could simply hard-code "no XP gained if enemy is more than 10 levels over you" in TEN MINUTES.
* Your new stat system is s***:
This is a very simple, very overlooked, and very far-reaching thing. Fortunately it's also very easy to explain. Observe:
Pre-renewal mechanics: 99/99/25/1/1/1.
Renewal mechanics: 120/120/100/50/1/1.
The problem is pretty obvious. There's simply TOO MANY STAT POINTS. In pre-renewal terms, the above stat distribution would be something like 99/99/80/30/1/1. Can you imagine how BROKEN the game would be if you had so many stat points to allocate?
Now you might say, "A-ha, Anti-Static Foam Cleaner, you handsome stud! But in Renewal, stats have different effects alltogether!". And you would be right, especially about the handsome stud part.
But see, this is where the punchline comes in. In Renewal, all offensive stats are USELESS.
Yep, you heard right. Proof? But of course.
STR/DEX(for ranged): 1.2 attack per point. 120 STR, pretty much a req for all melee classes? 144ATK. No other bonuses. That's ALL you get.
INT: A little better, 1.5 mATK per point. 105INT? 157mATK. Again, that's ALL you get from your stats.
Equipment was unchanged. So most of your hurting power now comes from equipment.
So, the bottom line is:
Not only you have TWICE AS MUCH stat points as before, now you also DON'T NEED TO PRIORITIZE YOUR OFFENSIVE STATS AT ALL. This is less drastic with INT, since it gives you most bang for your buck and is also used to decrease cast time, but STR/DEX? Dump stats. As a melee class max AGI and DEX for aspd, 80 probably to VIT, and finally 50 to STR for pot-carrying power. As a Ranger, well... get Luck or something. It rules now.
* WoW is a piece of s***:
It is. So keep your f*** mounts, quest indicators, instances, no hard def, and other dumbed down s*** for retards out of my hardcore korean grindfest. Next thing, mobs will probably start f*** dropping Zeny. Then I will send an e-mail to Gravity, and the message will be f*** you".