Just how bad management of this game has become

lexxfx

For any new player or someone trying to reinstall the game, this is what you have to go through.

ARC PWI page says the game file size is 16gb. When you try to download it, you need a NTFS drive as its ONE FILE and cant be downloaded on a generic/common Fat32 drive.
While downloading, you find out the file size is actually 20gb and not 16 as stated.
So once the initial file is downloaded, it AUTO INSTALLS in the same drive without any option to install somewhere else. I say install but it is really an unpack. The downloaded file is literally the PWI game folder compressed into a ZIP FILE and then unpacked onto the same drive with a couple of registry entries made for arc to detect the game.
AFTER the game is "installed" it runs the patcher and downloads ANOTHER 2-3gb for the wildwalker expansion. Yes 2 weeks later they still have not updated the game install file. Once that is downloaded the patcher reads "file folder corrupt" and will not let you into the game.
SO you need to ( yes you the player and not the game developers) go to the install directory and find a game file and delete it and then run verify for 10+ hours so it can download the new fixed version of that broken file ( which btw is 3+gb in size) and then let you into the game.
So all in all, you need about 15+ hours and 23+gb just to install this 16gb game.

That too IF you are not one of those of us that are still stuck with the disconnect at loading screen spam wasting hours just trying to get into the game. *which the gms wont even acknowledge is an issue*

EditL I just saw the date of the setup file. Its 02-01-2021. It has not been updated in almost a year.

But they have emergency maintenance to fix a code to send out to inactive players.