The PvM and PvP issue is an interesting one.
Judging by the MA changes announced, their defensive stance looks like being primarily aimed at the PvM environment. Also in some of the other changes, there's some clear changes that are targeted at improving either PvM performance or trying to increase the choices and diversity of PvM play. In general, I'd say that most professions can access teams reasonably well, so PvM balance is perhaps not such a burning issue... though there are exceptions to this (MPs in particular can struggle to get teams).
There have also been some comments from FC about rebalancing some of the mobs in the game alongside the changes to players. I can't find the specific threads... but I'm sure I've seen that spoken about. Dealing with outside tanking and NT kiting teams etc is perhaps a more difficult proposition...
But it's not as though PvM has been forgotten in the rebalancing...
That said, it's nevertheless true that players in most MMOs these days, view levelling as something that should be over as swiftly as possible and really as a means to an end - being getting to endgame Raid content or PvP. It's almost become a standard paradigm for players, that the levelling process is sidelined and seen as a necessary evil rather than as a substantive part of gameplay that needs to be enjoyed (a situation I find appalling myself...).
There's an argument that endgame raid content in AO tends to be a bit weak compared to some other games and so, at high levels, PvP tends to be the primary focus. That said, endgame content has, I think, improved recently. But endgame PvP is certainly one of the primary goals that many players have in AO... hence the player focus on that, that you'll often see in the forums.
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