Already tried all the different settings, including VBO on and off -- no difference.
I've downloaded the latest version off the official website. When it comes to updates, clicking the "Repair" button shows a black screen within the PSLauncher and doesn't update the client.
UPDATE: The "Repair" function finally connected to one of the updater mirrors and updated the files. It's possible that the updater mirrors were down before. The "podium" textures have been fixed but there are other problems. When browsing through different playable race options, the model textures randomly corrupt. For example, a Kran's texture will apply to an Ynnwn model or a Klyros texture to a Kran model and so on. Moreover, the game still frequently crashes back to PSLauncher window, so in the end I decided to uninstall it completely.
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Anyway, during the time it did work for a while, I didn't really like the Progression Point system at all. It's a grind and something you would typically find in Cash Shop based MMORPGs to get you to spend real money to reduce that grind. There also seem to be a lot of threads about it on this forum, dating quite a few years back. It was fun to imagine a new take on a starting area in another thread but in the end, I've decided that this game is not for me.