What do I like about this game? Ohhhh, let me count the ways:
• The fact that there's only 7 gear tiers, as opposed to other MMOs I've played (namely Runescape, World of Warcraft, and Final Fantasy XIV), where it's a huge multitude of item levels (ranging from ilvl 1 to ilvl 535 in Final Fantasy XIV :o ). Gear is kept simple in this game.
• The many different paths of gearing you can take, especially at the end game. The best gear in the game can be gotten from PvP, PvE, crafting, etc etc. Most other MMOs I've played the only way to get the best gear is by doing raids and that's it. Any other activity only nets you the subpar stuff. Basically, **everything** you want to do in this game is worth it.
• Versatile classes, kinda like a game called Grim Dawn. Rangers and necromancers, to name a few, can also be melee fighters as well. Elementalists, aka mages, can also be healers. Other MMOs would've just shoehorned these classes into one-trick ponies (warriors only melee fight and can't wield bows, rangers/hunters/bards can only use ranged weapons, etc etc). Truly makes for many many ways to play.
• Useful abilities (mainly heals and buffs), especially in open-world content. Abilities that affect "allies" affect **all** nearby players, not just ones in your party. Even NPCs can be affected as well! With other MMOs I've played - Final Fantasy XIV first comes to mind - a lot of their abilities only affect party members, with only the low-level single target heals being castable on non-party members. Makes random acts of kindness not so worth it. :/
• Useful ground-targeting. I prefer to hold down the attack button and then releasing it, rather than just toggling on and off. No other MMO I can think of has this option. And speaking of ground-targeting,....
• The only MMO where your whole attack mode can be ground-targeting/manually aimed (via engineer's mortar and grenade kits). I love this mode, especially after having to deal with tab-targeting since the 2010s (World of Warcraft & Final Fantasy XIV)! A welcome change from all that crap.
• The fact that the open-world gets a lot of love in this game. Other MMOs treat it like it's just a stepping stone to dungeons & raids. Lots of the world bosses - dragons, huge elementals, etc. - that you see in open-world content would only exist in higher-tiered content in other MMOs. In those, all you see in open-world is just larger versions of mook monsters and that's it. *sigh*
• Actual hard & varied dungeons/fractals. Nearly every other MMO I've played they've all been just glorified corridors, with some monsters & bosses thrown in. Not here. Jumping puzzles, carry item A to receptacle B, and other mechanics I can't think of at the moment give a lot of variety to these.
• The different types of mounts. Leaping mounts, high-jumping mounts, hovering mounts, among others. Other MMOs, notably World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV, it's either they fly or they don't. Not much variety there. :/
• As controversial as it might sound, being able to buy gems/gold. It's such a time & grind saver, just buying what I need, and not have to spend time running all over God's Green Country to get what I need to get.
All I can think of at the moment. Might be more later. ;)