I've only been here about a week, but I can tell you I enjoy it way better than the last time I tried Live. You've pretty much pointed out the major problems. Everyone is max level, so there's zero low level community. On top of that, there are so many zones compared to P1999 that you're lucky to see anyone else in any one zone anyway.
I leveled way more quickly on my last trip to Live, but it was pretty soulless. You accumulate a little plat, buy high powered weapons and armor for cheap (by classic standards), hang out in PoK until you get buffed to the gills, and then go solo in loneliness somewhere in a zone you have no memory of or connection to.
As far as worrying about slow leveling: don't. Bear in mind that this is EQ, not a modern MMO. There's a lot of game to be had on the journey. I spent years playing Kunark/Velious/Luclin and never broke level 50, but I still got a ton of entertainment out of it. Unless you're all about raiding, I would just play and enjoy the trip. And really, if you're all about raiding, a low pop private server seems like a pretty lousy alternative to more populated live games.
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