Stay away from Rants and Flames. It will kill your passion for the game. And if you ever see words like "poopsocking", "FTE", "TMO", and "FE", get out of the thread / discussion, ASAP.
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There's plenty of people around most of the time. The hunting spots may be different from what you're used to (e.g., my Live server used to have Highpass and Highold Keep as hot spots for leveling. Not here.
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If this is your first char I'd recommend playing what you love, not what's popular or underplayed. If you're really concerned about time/money, play a class that doesn't need gear to do its job like an Int caster (Enchanter was recommended and they're fun as hell to play) or even a Priest. Shaman are over-represented but there's good reasons for that.
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