Old EQ Player, New P1999 starting out

[Yttrium]

A bit about me, I played EQ from beta through SOV (then quit to play DAOC). My mains were a 54 enchanter, 58 monk, 51 rogue, 50ish warrior. My favorite by far was the enchanter, though feign pulling dragon/plane raids on the monk was an awesome thrill.

I just started on P1999 as an Ogre Shaman. Fun so far, though as I do my research I see a ton of shamans. I don't know how this will impact end game raiding. I am not 17 anymore and my playtime is not what it used to be, stupid family. The reason I came back to EQ instead of playing a modern game is I miss the community that existed in EQ. Games like WoW with their autogroups make it a soul-less grind. I like to explore zones, run into strangers, band together, and see what we can accomplish. Since I have limited time, I can only play 1 character. I can't change my mind at level 40 and start over, so I need to get this right! So this is what I am striving for:

Ability to solo (doesn't need to be the best, just need some solo function)
Highly desired for small pickup groups
Long term viability

Classes I am looking at primarily in order: Shaman, Paladin, Mage, Enchanter, Monk, Shadow Knight, Cleric

Thanks for the advice!