So, it's 2024.  Thought this game died long ago but I came back in 2023 to give it another go.  Same old problems along with some new awful problems:

-There is no PVP in this game.  Not really.  Just bored people with top tier gear killing weaker people because they are salty they invested so much time getting to top tier only to have the devs make it all worthless by just giving crap away.

-the player base is more toxic than World of (insert anything here).  In 3 years of play I have yet to run into anyone in the game world who walked up and just said "Hi".  Every single interaction with players in this game has been negative.  Even in that "horrible space game from 2003" where REAL PVP happens, people will chat in system chat, talking junk or try to recruit.  This game?  It's just silence or a PK when you park your character for a second because nature calls.  

-Every non grinding activity is a complete waste of time.  Everything of value is priced in the multiple billions.  Lifeskills just waste time with crap payout.

-The quests are stupid.  Level 62 (which was easier than the level 56 back in 2016 by FAR) and i'm having to go fetch some pork or a plump fish for a Korean NPC with a ridiculous backwoods West Virginia accent.  Almost broke my index finger spamming the R button.  

-Rewards for anything in this game are STINGY or pointless.  Why are you giving me Krogdalo boxes.  Everyone has multiple dream horses.  Boss loot boxes are equally crap.  Shakatu coins used to be worth something but who exactly wants a TRI anything that isn't a Kharazad.  Nothing sells, or, when it does it's for 2/3 of what you thought you sold it for (and at the market minimum).

-So you grind and grind to improve in order to do what, exactly?  Apparently to continue grinding in a different area.  But, since no one buys the crap that drops, you just spent 50 billion silver to grind slightly better trash loot more effectively.

-Such a shame really.  The game still is very pretty to look at.

That is pretty much the exact truth and same experience I had for years.  Nearly 100% of the responsibility is on Pearl Abyss who failed it's player base year after year.

A good MMO: It's a given to greet and party with players.  It's a known benefit to everyone and becomes customary for nearly everyone across the game.

BDO: Spot taken, Get out!

BDO was always a broken game that couldn't support it's own player base.  The game design was a failure that created the most toxic gaming experience I have ever seen in decades.

Mostly everything you've wrote are pure realities and sad truth. Guilds are death quiet, servers are quiet...

True that top gear players are bored killing newbies or gearless people, thats a reason why people quit pvp.

Life skill have a purpose, EU have to pay 5-6 times more money on pearlshop vs Asia region, now there are alot of people who still buying things from pearlshop for their super gameplay AFK life skill and thats another reason why no one plays or talks, because PA get used to people to have fun doing AFK stuff and getting trash trash rewards, now those few 100m-1b fish that drops who knows when, if get 1b in 2 weeks of afk fish and you are happy with this then we know who's fault here.

As I said many times, grinding is better then everything but they keep in control to not reach too much silver from high end spots, under 1b or above 1b from raw silver but nothing touches 2b/h.  With a little effort at 260AP spots you'll get 700m/h and at 310/320AP spots you get ~1b or 1b/h, for a diff of 50-60AP and stronger mobs, just wheres the logic? They don't want to update spots, don't want to update the trash trash rewards from Currency menu and many others. If they don't boost and update the rewards and anything else that will help gearless to upgrade then it will be just a dead game without pvp but only afk fun.

was playing since the awakening and to this day i dislike seeing a white dot on the map.

Then why are you here?

i like to run my circles?

what, if i dont like pvp i should play a different game?

It gotten so bad now anyone that work to get better things you should just wait now they will give it to you in 6 Month just look at the people that work to get a T10 now they give you one how that make you feel

The main problem is the PVE is just more of the same, and it's brainless. Nothing really changes, it's like a hamster wheel.

The content is just the same. Bosses is one thing per week only, and then it's over the same old little circle grind. Or stay in place grind.

If a game doesn't offer randomly generated levels/areas the game stale pretty quick and it become boring killing the same old for X amount of time. The combat is also super flashy, and it's very fast, but doesn't feel engaging, and you ain't react to anything really, just doing a rotation that after the 1000x. time you did it's boring.

I get a lot more satisfaction playing Sekiro new game for 1000x. time for example, as the combat is so enganging and one mistake and it can be over. 

The only thing i was waiting really was for the Calpheon Ball and to finally see if they going to announce the 100 Floor Dungeon and that Demon Land, but they didn't even mention it. Or just throw it, which means it won't be coming in 2025 as well, so i'm done with the game.
Maybe will come if the gift something big, and that's it.
To be fair i never like the coupon idea, the free daily stuffs, and so on. Earning something through challenges and play the game should have be the way. 
Gifting is just bad, but they have done so many time, that they can't stop doing it now. And people would want more and more, better and better, so they messed once with that, and now can't turn it back.

I have so many SP games waiting, so when i get the Calp. Ball rewards i will just start playing the game on my Epic/Steam and that will prolly be my 2025. 
I don't like their direction. It's 100% focus on PVP and new players, even though PVP players don't get it.

"There is no PVP in this game.  Not really.  Just bored people with top tier gear killing weaker people because they are salty they invested so much time getting to top tier only to have the devs make it all worthless by just giving crap away."

Could never said it better my self hence why I rather play eve oinline where PVP is the main pilar of the game and not an aftertaught. 
People will sit here and fume and say PVP is great in this game becuse they rather lie to them self than playing a game that care about their pvp.  

No pvp will not become better not now not in 20 years "if the game even last that long"