(I was unable to find some kind of easy to spot feedback form, so I'm just going to hope those in charge of the game actually read this forum)
I would really rather just "Purchase" the game (sort of how "guild wars" works) and be able to play as much as I want and craft whenever I like without worrying about this energy stuff. I get that your business model is currently revolving around the micro-transactions thing, but you really can have both.
There are a great deal of free players and people who will never really get into this game and to the point of spending money because of the harsh blockade presented by the limited mist energy and the choice of "will I actually play the game today, or make a piece of armor so I can play later", these people may be turned off by the idea of paying for energy, lets face it, it feels like you're buying a hat in TF2 or even worse, paying to succeed in the game.
Presenting an option for players to outright 'purchase' the game could draw in a great deal of dollars you would never see, from players who are turned off by micro transactions. The business model presented by guild wars, where you purchase the game and then expansions, and can play forever, certainly seems to have worked for them. They even still have micro transactions where you could spend real dollars to unlock things in-game, to make things easier on yourself.
What I'm saying is, shifting the micro transactions over to making the game easier on players, rather than paying to play over and over for time/energy/passes, while having the option for people to still do that OR outright purchase a lifetime spiral account ("buying the game") for about the cost of a standard game, would certainly loosen the pursestrings on many players who are adamant about not buying "virtual junk" or "paying for victory".
Energy could be a cheaper alternative for people who just don't want to purchase the game outright, and you could just offer other incentives in the cash shop, such as boosters, slot un-lockers ranging from 30 day/60 day/forever, and exclusive cash shop only decorations.
There are psychological effects to consider when you present purchasing options to people, and without the ability to feel that they actually "own" the game, and are instead just "renting" it, they may place a great deal less value on it.
Another example is already in the game, the temporary slot un-lockers that can be purchased for energy. To me, those slot un-lockers are absolutely worthless because they are temporary and based on real-time, maybe I won't have time to play that much this month? The fact that I have limited playtime anyway based around mist energy or purchasing crystal energy ("great I have to buy more junk for this to be worth it"). it really feels like a terrible deal.
You gotta open the gates so people have ways to rationalize their purchases. Being able to claim ownership of something is a good way to do it.
How about an elevator pass that never expires for somewhere between $30 and $50? I, for one, have already spent more than double that. And for the players that buy the unlimited pass, their Mist limit increases to 200 but accumulates at half the current rate or slower. That way the current model isn't completely destroyed and players would still be dependent on buying CE to craft the high-end weapons (4* and better) and such.
I do not agree with permanent weapon or trinket slots. My opinion is that "purchasing" the game is limited to elevator fees and a higher mist bank. That would leave Mist and Crystal Energy with a value that is determined by the market. That way you wouldn't be able to rage and go from a newbie to a 5* freak in a couple of days. Otherwise people wouldn't keep coming back. They'd have no reason to invest their time.