This is my first time playing Grayzone and I only have 13 hours, which I know means nothing, but here's what I got from the game so far:
Persistent world: The world is similar to Guild Wars 2. This is the first comparison that came to mind. People take choppers from and to the base all the time to do quests, engage in pvp, loot, you name it. You encounter allied players in the world that you can join in doing various objectives. Similar to Guild Wars 2, see? The only problem is that you can't share quests. For instance, if you need to kill 10 enemies and an allied player kills them in your vicinity, you don't get the kills. The fact that the world is persistent and not raid-based means that you can spend as much as you want before returning to base. Play at your own pace.
PVP vs. PVE: You can play either, as you have dedicated modes for both. This is a nice touch that makes the game appeal to a wider range of players.
Play PVP zone: You can easily play the PVP mode without encountering any enemy player. PVP is generally concentrated around specific locations, when the enemy players attack certain outposts, which then become highlighted on the map. So, you can just avoid those places and only do PVE. It's unlikely that enemy players will come into your PVE areas to farm. Because of this, I recommend playing PVP for the thrill of having enemy players on the map.
The world is massive: I've spent my 13 hours of gameplay essentially in 2 sectors of the map. I maybe covered 10% of the map, let's say. The world is vast and diverse and I like it.
Tons of quests: I like having something to do constantly. You level up traders pretty fast if you focus on quests and you have tons of them.
Death isn't as punishing: Unlike games like Tarkov or Arena Breakout, deaths aren't as punishing. Dying in PVE means nothing, because you simply respawn in the nearest Safe Zone and run back to your body and loot your stuff back. Dying in PVP is more punishing, but the concept is the same. Respawn in the nearest safe zone, gear up fast, run back into combat. Also, you can put trackers into your equipment, at which point you'll be able to track the guy who looted it off of your body. He won't know if the gear is tracked or not. Very nice.
Regarding other things that may be of interest, the gunplay is awesome. Idk how others feel about it, but I find it perfect. Very little recoil, guns are very easy to handle, overall I like it. The healing system is similar to Tarkov, splints, bandages, surgical kits. You also have blood bags to replace lost blood. Unlike Tarkov, doe, you can revive your fallen teammates and heal them after dragging their bodies in cover. Again, very nice.
The day-night cycle and the changing weather are also very very cool. Adds with immersion.
As a general ideal, if you've played Incursion Red River, this is Incursion Red River with more quests, PVP, and a larger and more lively ecosystem. I definitely recommend if you enjoy FPS games.
