Ive started playing a few months ago and i'm enjoying this so far, i've been grinding for the most part though.
i was wondering however if there is an actual reason to grind? is there any dungeons/raids like other MMOs have? any bosses that require a group to take on? PvP?
Hello and Welcome to Planeshift. Not certain if you are still looking for answers or even if you are still playing but thought I would at least try to give you a bit more insight into the game and what if any advantages there are to grinding up skills and stats.
PS, like others have already said, is not your typical mmorpg. We do have some pretty tough bosses that you can take on and it is advisable to do so with a group. Last I knew the toughest one was a decent challenge though it is bugy but it will be a while before you are ready to face him so I wouldn't worry about that. All my knowledge of that is second hand as I've yet to try it myself. A good number of the bosses are something one very advanced player can take down but that all depends on said players skill set.
A big thing is the freedom to explore. If you want to go into all the deep dark places and live to tell about it, then you are going to need some way of mitigating damage and neutralizing threats. Potions are only going to buy you time. There are not many aggressive enemies in PS at this time but the ones that are will generally be a much tougher than a normal enemy of their type.
(EDIT: Left some stuff out. Aggressive enemies are becoming more common and are not always a lot tougher than their respective type. Whether an aggressive enemy attacks and how they attack you is dependent on how strong your character is relative to the specific enemy. If you are significantly weaker then the enemy, it will attack you in a aggressive or bloody stance that will allow them to do more damage to you but take a lot more themselves. If you are stronger then them, they will attack in a normal or defensive stance to reduce incoming damage while still being able to dish it out pretty well. Unlike most mmorpgs enemies in PS will chase you for a long distance or until they become stuck on something or are no longer able to target you, like when you go through a load point. This might have changed so they might have a maximum distance.)
PVP, one of my favorite topics, not what it once was in ps. Due to some recent additions to the game the damage and defensive system is a little lopsided and a general lack of pvp zones that are big enough to contain fights or any incentive to even be in them. We used to have a VERY popular pvp zone with gladiators in it that you could kill for the best loot in game but the gladiators were removed. Now that pvp zone is empty and very neglected. There are other pvp zones but they really do not compare. A new damage system is being developed and that should fix some of the problems. As to a reborn pvp zone, That remains to be seen.
RP reasons, some players like to rp as a warrior and not have any skills to back it. That is completely up to the player to decide. Personally, I don't want to walk around acting like a tough guy and then been seen running away from a diseased rat.... it just looks wrong in my honest opinion and so I have invested in my characters skills and stats to better fit him.
Hope this helped you or any other new player with the same question browsing the forums.