if someone want to be a "topplayer" it requires effort; allods is not one of the games where everything is presented to you on a silverplate
THANKFULLY
allods is a game that is hard but rewarding, in every aspect
if someone WANT to catch up it IS possible, most things are easier than before, regarding gear it is also possible to catch up now with enought time thanks to timevoid and a BG that pops every few minutes (if not instant); this BG gives gold and amalgam, timevoid gives gold for upgrading, so all the gold from BG can be used to do whatever you want
catching up has NEVER been this easy
as for free or subscription its easy, those who are not OK with a cashshop choose subscription - this topic itself has been discussed in every possible aspect