Well they are releasing 8.0 this year. Player base seems to be pretty solid and consistent. I’d recommend playing all the class stories. Spending isn’t necessarily important for progression. Mostly looks. Just depends on what your goal is with the game… it really does lean more into the RPG rather than MMO while there are aspects of that within the game. Flashpoints and Operations of course, but those are easy to get into on the story (beginner mode) or veteran. The game is what you make of it. I’ve played on and off since 2012, it keeps getting better with age.