While I do have just shy of 6,000 hours played, I haven't touched the game for more than a handful of matches over the last few years since my premium time expired. Making any meaningful progression in this game absolutely requires an active premium account and purchased premium vehicles. Anyone claiming otherwise is being intellectually dishonest. All long-term players of this game understand that playing this game purely free-to-play and getting a single nation to the top tier takes an absurd amount of time to grind with layer upon layer of currency sinks to encourage micro-transactions, some of which are priced at the modern AAA game price point ($70+). I do enjoy the game's balance of arcade and simulation gameplay; however, Gaijin has capitalized on their near-monopoly of this niche market with only wargaming as competition. They understand their player base has no alternatives and feel emboldened to push a little further with each economy update or premium vehicle release. The simple financial barrier of needing to reinstate my premium account is enough to put me off playing a game that I can actually enjoy from time to time, when it works.

While I do have just shy of 6,000 hours played, I haven't touched the game for more than a handful of matches over the last few years since my premium time expired. Making any meaningful progression in this game absolutely requires an active premium account and purchased premium vehicles. Anyone claiming otherwise is being intellectually dishonest. All long-term players of this game understand that playing this game purely free-to-play and getting a single nation to the top tier takes an absurd amount of time to grind with layer upon layer of currency sinks to encourage micro-transactions, some of which are priced at the modern AAA game price point ($70+). I do enjoy the game's balance of arcade and simulation gameplay; however, Gaijin has capitalized on their near-monopoly of this niche market with only wargaming as competition. They understand their player base has no alternatives and feel emboldened to push a little further with each economy update or premium vehicle release. The simple financial barrier of needing to reinstate my premium account is enough to put me off playing a game that I can actually enjoy from time to time, when it works.