Yep, I came back about 3 months ago and a LOT has changed. It was really overwhelming. Like I told Riv, instead of trying to learn 20+ spells at once, I decided to start fresh.
Learning 1 spell at a time, learning how it works, then later deciding if you want to continue or swap it for the alternative. Spells don't need scrolls and their levels increase as your character level increases but each spell is linked to one other spell and you have to choose which one you prefer to use i.e. you can't use both "linked" spells in the same fight. I learned what I liked the most leveling up "slowly." Another change is almost all elements are viable for all classes - epic level gear is expensive, low level isn't. Starting new gives you time to play around and find the element style you like. Don't believe me? Chance Srams are viable, haha.
After playing a few weeks, I got connected with an old guildy who invited me to her guild and long story short I was lv 199 in about a month. I got tired of the Osa I made despite loving mine back in 2013, and now I'm an Elio. I'm having a lot of fun with it in this new version. Although I do miss the good ol' days, the expansion to Frigost and all the new epic dungeons have made the game pretty fun - at least for now.