I have gained some free time and want to play an mmo and GW2 isn't coming out for a long time.

I have a few questions if you don't mind answering.

How long does it take to cap 50?

How long does it take to gear up to be raid ready after hitting 50?

What is the barriers to entry for raiding like?

Was thinking of trying a mage, other then dps specs is it true chloromancers can fill healing/support roles (adequately) in raids?

It's something to play til GW2/SWTOR. If you like world pvp, make sure to roll on a high pop server like Briarcliff or Deepstrike. I've been having a decent amount of fun owning people on Briarcliff.

Not really, unless you're really bored. It's a WoW alternative. The graphics in Rift are better but WoW has better features, content and chances are you already have friends playing WoW.

Tried it for a day. Pretty dull. Its like playing a duller, but prettier wow.

Raiding's fun. It's relatively quick to hit 50. Getting Tier 2 instance gear/plaque gear can be a bit of a grind if you don't have a regular crew to play with.

I still don't get the people that say Rift is so much prettier than WoW -_-

From what I can tell the art is much better than WoW. Much less regurgitated textures across zones. The mobs look cooler and I love the effect of dead mobs floating to the top of the water.