Its true, I really love AoC, its the only game that held me for such a long (beautiful graphics, awesome soundtrack, better gameplay than other games + I like conan lore) time but now it is over. FC's decisions (for example: taking away the game director etc.) are just stupid but the only logical way for them to get enough money for their other games (even if I don't know what economic improvement that had... maybe they just fired him? ^^).
I am not paying for AoC anymore and it seems like I won't do it ever again.
The servers indeed are all "dead" (not counting Rage as server anymore, only Fury and Crom) you can't talk about a "MMO" and AoC in the same sentence, there are single Minecraft servers that double the population of Fury and Crom together. Crom got enough player to do some hardmodes / normal instances / raids at prime times but overall its not a healthy populatioin anymore (for example: you are playing often with the same people over and over again) and it won't increase anymore, there is no advertisement for AoC which makes it impossible to gain customers for a nearly dead and bad started game.
But to be honest, the community is also one factor that decreases the playerbase constantly. I have never seen a game which is so Newbie hostile... This "AA EXP Gear" **** is decreasing the group options for new player extremly, its almost ompossible to find a group where it is not needed to have a T4 geared character for Crows Nest (yeah a bit extreme but I saw that happen once
They kicked all ppl that didn't had atleast T4 gear xD). Sure, they can join a guild where they maybe get those tactics teached by expirienced and nice people but not everyone want's to join a guild. Reading guides wont help you in many cases you have to learn by doing (movement, good timing) but if there happens one or two wipes in a random group everyone is just leaving and insulting each other.
About PvP I don't even wan't to start talking... I don't know much about it and did just a few games / fights but that was enough to prevent me to do even more PvP. Insulting new PvP player that just joined a match (which didn't even started!) because of his low PvP level, bad gear or not that OP PVP MLG skilllzzzzz is just horrible and will just scare all people away.
I won't say everyone is like that, there are great and nice people that are helping new player but it seems like a big part of the community is the complete opposite of this.
Its mainly FC's fault that this game is running so damn bad but the community of AoC is widely known as very bad / hostile... which adds a bad taste to AoC and new player.