After several days, my impressions of the New Player Experience

Much like how we felt the first time we stepped into UO with absolutely no help, I think the goal of our developers is to keep this game complex, make it require that people learn it and also reach out to the community to help. You mentioned deck issues, browse around here a bit, there is a lot of video content which will train you to use the deck.

The deck system to me in this game is the equalizer. People who learn to build good decks are the most powerful people in the game. You can have a lvl 100 player who learns and knows how to build a deck absolutely crush someone who does not at the same level (not just PvP but even general PvE encounters). But the fact is that even the person who does not can operate in the game fine (especially PvE). I have found most complaints about this system come from people who have for far to long been in a rut of playing games that are to simple. This system REWARDS you if you get into it and learn it. There is a lot of deep strategy here in building decks.

This is why a lot of people really like this game, no rails.

 

Good point, as if you can do all 3 of the Virtue quests, your skill would increase, making the last stages do-able.

I don't know if it has changed in the last few weeks, but I started with a "Trial Account" to see if I liked the game before buying it.
In the Trial Account, I only had one path I could follow & could not do the other 2 paths until I paid for the game.

 

Yes. For the trial account you can only do one Virtue quest series.