Personally, I activated base accidentally more than a year ago. I started with 50+ millions of gold, which is how much I spent on upgrading it. ( I wasnt farming at all because I thought I'd quit the game at the time) It took few months to max out, as I had no trouble with gold. I've been playing for ages and I could be considered a top player I guess, for a bit more info.
Mostly I use it for legendary items or kits. I got some very good items and it was worth it for me. For example, I got overload preventor module ( if thats the name xD).
Now when the base gives a bit more gold, its even better for me. Kits got cheaper which is amazing and makes upgrading way easier. I think if you really plan to play and be serious, it will be definitely worth it the long run. For the beginners, it can be difficult because of the gold cost.
All in all, it was worth it for me and I dont regret having base for sure. Its up to you whether you activate it or not, see and try to figure out if it would be good for you to do it now or later or even never if you want so, I just wanted to share my experience which was mostly positive.