Players start the game in an instanced tutorial, which is successful at giving players an introduction to the gameplay and the world. However, once they are out on their own the learning curve becomes quite steep. Players are never told to look for the red "X" on their mini-map to find the target of their quest. I had no idea that I had mutant buffs at level 1 -- they were in a window I didn't stumble across until someone mentioned it in the Help chat channel. The interface does not provide enough mouse-over tooltips to help newbies learn the abundant number of windows and options. Something as basic as learning how to loot all items from a corpse I had to figure out on my own. I didn't know I could buy a horse at level 2, or even where to buy it. I was level 5 before I found out. These types of issues are inexcusable for a live game.
Yes, within a few hours all of these things could be discovered, but they should be explained clearly to the player, especially when they are getting their first impressions of the game. Not everyone is going to forgive these early transgressions. Fans of the MMO genre have their own set of standards and expectations, and it would be a shame to discourage well-seasoned MMO players from giving Fallen Earth the chance it deserves because of a welcome that is less than warm. Giving players what they expect in an unexpected way is fine, but Fallen Earth needs to do more to bridge that gap.
Combat is the largest departure from conventions in the game and, but for a few faults, it is successful overall. I did not see many groups, except for the odd quest group that breaks shortly after the quest is complete. The game does not appear to be preparing players for a group dynamic, so I can only assume that PVE raiding will not be a focus of the game. Players are not required to group to get to the max level, and while that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of reasons to group at some point, be prepared to spend most of your time soloing.
