I can't really offer you the answers you wish but I can tell you about the experience from alpha-beta.
During Alpha-Beta we all had to use a download client. The client itself is very small as it downloads areas as you travel. So on the good side you will be able to start very quickly. On the bad side it means you will have a long pause each time you enter a new areas as it downloads.
How to reduce download effect on party gameplay:
If you find having others wait for you to download each area when questing in parties, you can help reduce this slightly by entering any new area on your own first, then going back to town and grouping up with others. (It does not help with new areas found in the middle of quests, but can help a little).
The first time you PvP in an arena, it may be over by the time you log in - lol. But it's only the first time for each map that you will suffer this wait. After that you will be fine and the game streams new data to you very smoothly.
The game copes with low connection speeds very well. What you have to remember is that this isn't a normal mmorg. Your not going to have 50+ people in an area all fighting 50+ monsters etc. The only busy places are towns and a bit of lag there isn't going to stop your fun. Once your outside then your either solo or in a group of 4-6, so the volume of data is very low.
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