Originally Posted by
Encyros
If a new player is prepared to team to do content, is able to become reasonably skilled (which has its own challenges, unrelated to the economy), and is prepared to play one of the cheaper-to-gear professions as their first toon, they will not run into financial trouble.
A Doctor who gains their first billion in about two months will not lack for funds for the best endgame gear in the game, provided they are willing to do content, and will not buy lootrights for NoDrop items.
It is worth mention that a raiding city is now extremely cheap.
Pretending that laziness is a necessity is fallacious. Anarchy Online has one of the most complicated, confusing, and ill-explained-by-the-Game-Company RPG systems out there. One has to embrace mystery and complexity to keep being drawn to the game.
A new player is going to gimp their toon. They'll then either leave, or reroll to make a better toon the second-time around. I don't think anyone really approached AO with the mindset that they will make the best ganker this game has ever seen in the space of half a year.