Bugs: I had some issues getting the game to load properly but erasing the cache files in Vanguard/bin/cache and doing a full scan fixed them. I also had some interface problems that seemed to be resolved just changing some stuff in the interface settings. The game ran much smoother and I encountered no real bugs in the game while i played. That may not sound like a big deal but VG was bug ridden before and you encountered them at almost every turn. My session ended with a classic Vanguard style spontaneous reboot but that could have been caused by something else as well.

Server Population: There were quite a few more people in every place that I went then there were when I quit about a month after release. There was a great selection of groups to be had at 35-45 and that is truly a huge improvement. Many of the guilds that we know had either returned to the game or were still playing and after one shout asking a question I saw about 10 people I knew. That's a good sign.

Added Features: Guild halls are now in game and the fixtures for guild and player housing is also in game. Guild halls are pretty amazing but i haven't checked out all that they can do yet. An XP rest bonus has also been added. You can rest by camping or at an outpost that is denoted by a tower icon next to your class icon. im sure there are some other things that have been added but these were the biggies that I saw.

Hacks: Apparently there is a recent issue of hacking in Vanguard. Two different guild leaders I talked to said it had directly influenced server population after the merge but were confident that SOE had a handle on it.

Bottom Line: Vanguard is much improved and much more fun. Will that be enough to keep a player base large enough to fill up those servers and give the game a chance?? Who knows.