That "good friend" is actually...yes, u Bezou...
U figure the rest, before making fast judgements (or assumptions). As for receiving items from staff - I personally have NOT received anything. Cannot vouch for the rest of the crew.
We played a fair and square game, grinding for our gear, because having "gift" items takes the fun away from saying with pride: "I made this myself", or "Will it craft or fail?". Some may like "gifts" - I personnaly prefer (and advocate) making them myself. That way, NO ONE can say: "Hehe, he is here because he was given...".
Regarding the "corruption" allegations, if u guys (as staff) had the decency to make a post in the forum as to what exactly will be on sale in the GM shop when going live, then I do NOT think any of this would have transpired.
Because in Beta phase there were NO crystals for sale, u can check server logs that one of the first chars we made and levelled was a crafter - to crystallize stuff.
But then again, why bother? Easier to blame others...
GL to u too Bezou. Hope we cross paths again, somewhere in the vast realms of this awesome game.