Spiral Knights = P2W
...
Technically, you don't HAVE to pay to win. You could just farm Vana all day and there's this great thing called being a MERCHANT! I rarely go below 200,000 cr because I complete vana runs with friends and then sell some stuff like my slime node stuff! Then I buy and repeat. Xyweeterx is probably right about you being new. If you ARE, a great way to earn money and orbs at the same is to run jelly king over and over. It pays with about 3,000 cr per run and has a chance to drop advanced, elite, and eternal orbs.
If you mean just in general it's both pay to win and incredibly unfun and expensive to pay to win anything in game. People basically play it like they would a console game and occasionally get angsty and buy energy, or buy energy to show their appreciation, or under SEGA would buy prize boxes because gambling addiction is what all the cool games are manipulating in people to get money.
Oh and rename this so that I know what it is if you would, either you or Cronus/Hera. Just call it something like "Is Spiral Knights Pay to Win?"
ok mate