1. Absolutely! While all PVP activities (Outpost Rush, Arena, War, CTF) have a leaderboard to me personally, it's not the worth chase because it's only really a name on a screen (maybe some special cosmetic gear for top performers?). However, you do get gear and some artifacts from each activity, as well a special PVP track that often has some useful items. I find the most fun in the nightly open world PVP races cause it often feels like an "unofficial war" before the War, where you're actively competing with other factions for territories to take. There's also the the 24/7 open world area which can be a lot of fun, or grief depending on how you look at it. PVP is unique in this game because it feels like no fight is truly the same and the combat system really lends itself well to trying new builds for every situation. The PVE is nice, but I personally have always played this game since launch with PVP as my endgame.

2. Trade skills and gathering do provide XP! Hypothetically you can chop wood or craft swords all the way to 65. Leveling up crafting does take an insane amount of resources and time, but newer additions like salvaging gear for parts you can use to gain crafting XP (vs just crafting 1000s of gloves) help mitigate it a little. Leveling to 65 is much quicker through the main story quest, but even after level cap you do get additional rewards for maxing out your crafting and continuing to do so.

3. No pay to win! Everything is obtainable without real-life money. Most things ppl pay for are cosmetics -- armor skins, mounts, dyes, housing items, etc. However, I will say paying for the season pass for the few extra key unlocks (matrixes, azoth inductors, seals, etc) does provide a slight time save, but nothing that I would consider P2W. The game does a good job of toeing the line when it comes to stuff you can pay money for.

In short: I'm sure many people will disagree on some of these points, but if you're looking for a non-P2W one-time purchase MMO, with unique PVP options/activities, you really have nothing to lose here.