Gonna weight in on this, but you and I've talked about this with A Forest Tail, already. I'm just getting my words out to the rest in case someone wants to compare opinions.
If we look at the success of historical games of the past and what others talked about, it's the leveling system that leads you to become stronger, the loot system that gives statistical advantages, and some amount of grind. Balance is the true goal of a good game, regardless of RPG or otherwise.
Short term: Keep the immediate feedback loop going by rewarding small goals. Sound effects and other feedback light up those happy joy chemicals in the brain and tell you when you've done something right, silence can leave one questioning if they're doing something wrong.
For our game, it's going to have some escapism as well. Players can immerse themselves in a character that may not be possible in the real world and the RP aspect of the A Forest Tail will give them the power to live that life with others at the same time, creating unique experiences that you can't create with a casual solo playthrough. That, along with the variety of loot, leveling skills, and areas will create a game that isn't like others and as such will hold it's own in the world without too much comparison to other games. It's comparable, yes, but not too comparable to any one single game.
From both Game Dev Minor and my experience in making servers in other games.