I'd say the game has always been balanced more or less from an NA perspective. Shifts happen in classes and player skill levels, and from my point of view as primarily a HA/hoplite/longspearman, there have been times when I've been at a disadvantage, but the game wasn't truly unbalanced.
I feel that honest balance arrived when polestun was finally removed. That had rippling effects throughout the playerbase, but it was a necessity. I adjusted as a hoplite at the time, as did many other players. Others didn't, and either didn't bother to improve their playstyles and changed classes, or stopped playing entirely.
Right now the glut of throwers is making my longspear build somewhat challenging, but that doesn't mean throwing is OP. To solve this problem I know I need to adjust my playstyle and setup, not go bitch on the forums. These changes in the community make the game more interesting, and improve me as a player, because I learn to deal with new obstacles.
From my view maps are the main balancers of the game. A map with adequate cover means suddenly melee are advantaged. Some uphill monstrosity or narrow chokepoint and ranged get to play powerfully. I know this is an unpopular opinion among the vocal minority on NA, but random plains maps are the best. Everyone gets to shine if they put the effort in.
I take attempts to "re-balance" my classes as a personal challenge. The turnspeed reduction forced me to rethink how I played polearms. It was not a "stop doing that shit, it's overpowered," rather a "let's see if you are good enough to adapt." I can say I am better for the nerf, because I learned more tricks and valuable assessment skills for the battlefield.
