Between playing totally F2P, or spending 100k, there's a lot of different possibilities. You'll quickly feel restricted by some things (weight, inventory and warehouse slots, to name some of them) but you can find other ways to compensate these problems. For sure, you can feel much more comfortable in BDO with some purchases, that's the idea.

You can also buy temporary buffs, depending on your mood and patience. 

But if there's a step I really would not recommend, it would be to buy things to participate in the great "gear gambling", ie outfits for crons, artisans, or any other gambling (horse, fairy skills). For every player showing their "success" through heavy purchases, how many ended up with nothing, instead? How can we believe the % devs are showing? Who is controlling these percentages ?

So yes, there may be some players who heavily paid their gear. But due to RNG, there's not so many of them, you won't meet them on every corner, and most players are using the CS on a more reasonable level. 

Your argument is nonsensical and you know it, don't you? First of all, this game wasn't just 30 bucks upon launch.

Then, this game has quasi-subscriptions, 3 in fact, which are - comparatively speaking - very expensive and of which - I dare say - most people at least use the value pack. You also have a whole bunch of "necessary macrotransactions" if you don't want to be completely gimped. BDO is a very excessive and perverse amalgamation of all three standard monetization models (F2P, B2P and P2P).

I dare say that even among F2P games, BDO is particularly expensive.

Have you figured out how to market pay 2 lose? If so, you should start selling it as you stand to make a fortune. If not though you might want to question whether you or they have a point in regards to objective reality in what it takes to fund the development of a game like BDO. This is not 1997 where a $15 a month subscription is enough to pay the bills and if all you offer is cosmetics that people can absolutely do with out with no inconvenience then most will abstain from buying it.

some of you argue just to argue, holy cow

it's time to go outside

In 1997 UO was $4.99 US, There was a major uproar mass threats of quitting the game when they raised it to $7.99 shortly there after with a 1y option of $4.99.  EQ was "expensive" at $8.99/mo with a 1y subscription.  $15 is what the price got raised to in around 2012.  Yes the monthly subscription fee has trippled in the past 24 years for online games.  A $15 subscription fee will absolutely keep the lights on, just like $4.99 kept the lights on in 1997.  Maybe you should refrain from speaking if you don't know anything about a topic.

A$15 dollar price point will not keep the lights on when you have a free to play option and beyond that you nor anyone else have an entitlement to a price point you want to pay. Companies don't aim for "keeping the lights on". If they can charge a $100 dollars per month and remain successful they are going to and they nor anyone else gives a F about how unfair anyone perceives it.

You think it's bad now? Just wait until the bills come due in the next few years for the western money printing regarding COVID. I assure you wages won't go up to match it and many playing now won't likely to be able to afford internet let alone BDO. We'll be lucky if we all don't end up like Venzuela.

I didn't go back and research what year which subs went to what price point because I made a very general assertation and it isn't that pertinent. As for UO I played on Great Lakes, character name Ragnarok.

I know a female who spends that amount on designer clothes and most of what she wears looks like garbage ( At least to me). I had to cut my spending down as I have to leave something behind for my kids and grandkids when I die and BDO avatars do not increase my net worth (Although I do have 10k set aside in my gaming account for when Dwarf class is released).

Some folks see value in having a 700 GS or close to it in BDO so they spend the money. You also have to realize that 100k for some people is a drop in the bucket since they have a good paying career ( Not job, as there is a difference). 

I work with two physicians that purchased guild ships in Star Citizen and they were saying during surgery that they have spent over 200k on the game purchasing ships for themself and family members, so BDO is not the only game cashing in.

Please list more imaginary items that players are forced to buy in order to play BDO.

The amount of tears you spread about the cash shop items won't make any of them mandatory for you in order to play BDO and people like you know it perfectly.

The gimped feeling only exist in your head because you seem to belong to the long list of people not capable of resisting to peer pressure.

Personally, Beyond initial purchase I mostly only buy value packs in order not to steal from people who normally would charge me the same cash amount just to access their servers.

No, seriously, even if BDO has some excessive monetization strategies (mainly linked with gambling) which should be clearly removed from any CS, you can still avoid many transactions unless you're really impatient. For example, you can perfectly go without the 3 "quasi subscriptions" you mentioned, these are not mandatory. 

Imagine spending 500K in BDO and still suck at the game.