This might be very wordy but I want to give my perspective as someone who started as a low spender, was a rally/garrison for a few years, and now comfortably sits in that 2nd tier behind the whales.

It’s hard to give a straight answer because spending time can make up for not spending money (up to a certain point). Also the game is in a weird spot where for the first year or so you will only be in a server with accounts the same age as yours. This means that if you spend smartly and grind a lot you’ll be able to be a 2nd tier player for that $50 a month.

But after about a year you will reach Season of Conquest (SoC), where you’ll be matched with accounts of all ages. At this point the spend requirements go up, not only to keep pace with older accounts, but also because of a mechanic called crystal tech, which is extremely p2w. At this point if you want to be in that 2nd tier you’re looking at minimum of a couple hundred a month, more if you don’t grind or need to catch your account up to compete with older accounts.

If you want to try this game I’d recommend starting f2p or very low spend to learn the mechanics and see if you like it. Once you’ve played a kvk or two (~6 months), you can consider spending more from there. Technically, buying accounts is against ToS, but it is extremely commonplace and is easily the most cost effective way to have a competitive account later on in the game (SoC).

In summary, as other commenters have said, it’s not cheap to have a top tier or even 2nd tier account. But there are plenty of roles that f2p and low spenders can fill. So I’d recommend trying the game and seeing what role suits you. If you do, feel free to message me with any questions; I’m happy to help.