yes...Square-Enix wants your money and has never offered anything free of charge. it depends where you live. for me [USA] i pay $4 for each character, plus a $12 activation fee...
What? How is that true? its 1 buck per character AFTER your first one. Theres also matienence and other stuff, this isnt RO. World of Warcraft has montly fees too >_>;

Basic fee: 12.95 a month USD.

Battle style is like EQ, you take out your weapon, and depending on the delay of the weapon, you automatically attack.

Dont see how its shabby..the 3 mages are wanted through all levels, Warrior is one of the strongest jobs out there that can tank and deal damage, Monk is very powerful end-game, and Theif is still desired for most of the game.