It's one of the least P2W MMOs I've played in recent times. You can obtain 95% of things in the cash shop without paying real money, and the remaining 5% are cosmetics or non-essential items. After about 3 months of experience, you should be able to grind gold so quickly that the cash shop becomes obsolete for any player that doesn't want to spend their paycheck on the game.

If you actually intend to play the game competitively, be aware that it is extremely hardcore. It's the only MMO I know of without a hard cap on just about anything. Your character level, skill levels, and almost everything else is uncapped so there's basically infinite progression. The thing I like most about BDO is that it can be played as an active grinder, or it can be a game that you minimize to your system tray and keep running all day doing idle tasks. Either way, you can still progress. I've been AFK fishing for the past month and building wealth, but there will come a time when I'm interested enough in the game that I start playing actively again.

I'd recommend the game to anyone who loves character progression. You don't have to follow any linear quest line either, you can level however you want. Just find something you like to do.