What to expect.
 

Ok so after work I plan on trying to get this setup so I can play, but for now I have a question.

Can I expect to see other people running around in the newbie areas or am I pretty much gonna be alone ?

You'll see people everywhere, not just newbie areas.

Depends where you go. From my experience most newbie areas have a few people at least, except Tox which is generally dead. East Commonlands is always by far the busiest, though, and there are lowbie groups at the orc camps there almost all the time. If you're after a group it's worth getting to the nearest druid ring / spire and pestering someone to take you to WC, and hunt there. Doesn't help the problem of some newbie gardens being dead, but at least you'll get groups.

Depending on the time of day, day of the week and zone -- you can expect to see people almost everywhere. :)

Last night running around I saw 129 in East Commons, 14 in Blackburrow, 32 in South Karana, 20+ in Everfrost.

While not as busy as it was when I first played the game years ago, North Qeynos had a decent amount of people in it throughout the night last night, but not so many that we didn't have mobs to kill. There were even higher level characters stopping by to buff people from time to time.

Torqumada

I'd second the EC recommendation if you're looking to get through the first ten levels quickly. Besides the pretty easy grouping for orcs, there are a lot of high levels that sit in ec selling / buying that are generally willing to toss an occasional sow / regen / ds on people to help them through the low levels.

Crushbone, and to a lesser extent GFay, tend to have very steady populations as well. It's also not terribly uncommon for a higher level to help out a CB group by breaking up the TR, or just pulling mobs out of the castle.

You'll have a hard time finding anywhere that doesn't have people during peak areas, sans the continent of odus =p

On a population note I can't wait for kunark, I'm hoping the server pop doubles! I know its already crowded but the thing I miss most about live is that cities were always bustling, noobs running through and high levels sitting in their city because its Their City.

I would love to see this again )

I'm sure there will be 90+ people in LOIO all the time. :P

http://beastlords.org/index.php?topic=692.0;wap2

Go with the ZEM!