Aside from convenience xp pots, they haven't confirmed what is going to be in the shop just yet. Getting mad about that is a little premature. It's also unclear whether unlocks will be character based or account based. The tradeskill depot and dragon hoard were account unlocks that you had to buy from the cash shop in EQ, for example. If they are character based, then I might be inclined to agree with you, depending on how grindy the in game unlock is. Then again, only your race and primary class are locked in, so maybe not.
Lots of stuff has not been finalized or even announced yet. The game itself is pretty fun as is. Symphonic Aura is a fucking amazing game changer for bards. You can have up to 5 buffs just flat out autocast, no fizzling, no missed notes, no melody. It doesn't interfere with melee or casting. It is awesome. The focus stealing effect is extremely easy to use. Upgrading items is as simple as farming copies or making them via tradeskills. Motes are helpful, but nothing you can't just do for yourself without them.
How they intend to monetize will certainly impact players. That is always the case. That said, their competition is really just the TLPs and emus. No one is coming to play EQ as a new player in 2026. Anyone who loves the Live-slop is going to stay there. If they continue to tighten up and polish everything from vanilla -> POP so that it all just works and is solo/casual friendly, they should be fine.