After several years of watching how the classes play, I got to say this : the balance is absolutely gone.
Melee classes are basically dominating the entire game with only a few higher pvp levels like 9/10 casters able to compete in the minis games.
On top of that, you are giving barbarians insane speed that basically morphs them off the screen when combined with lag compensation funcom has given eastern European players get.
The ranger is by far out of control in the high tier pvp gear and AA combination. My personal experience with a few casting classes and healing class, is that no matter what spec I use, the only out from ranger damage is a 5 minute cool down on a bubble.
The combo system, absolutely annihilated with exploits. I know we can't discuss in detail these issues, but they exist and need to be addressed at some point to bring in and retain new players.
I've read and discussed this game on forums and social media all over the web, and the biggest negative is the combo system. Either people are unable to utilize the system or players are exploiting the system to the point of the game coming to a crawl during minis.
IMO , the key issues that can make AoC better :
Figure out how to balance rangers in terms of pvp gear and AA's
Combo system adjustments to at most stall exploitation to allow the game to repopulate
With the end game so extreme, casters need to be just as extreme, even as tier or tier 2 pvp gear , it just not scaling at the same rate as most rogue and melees
Make pvp gear obtainable with a reduction in tokens and trophies it takes to buy pvp gear. I've played for the last few months, and because minis aren't popping I'm not able to get trophies and badges.
If you are going pay to win, go big. Make all pvp gear purchasable in the shop at the same time lowering shop prices
remove server lag compensation, it just isn't necessary in the 21st century.
In-game chat text translation, so it makes it easier to communicate with people from other countries and make the community more engaged
Please, don't introduce new pvp armor until you've actually been successful at balancing the current pvp armor. Piling on problems should be a thing of the past by now, and if it isn't, I would recommend finding a new game director.
The final and most important thing, be proactive in the community . This means policing the community regularly for T.O.S. abuses .