To play a warrior, or not to play a warrior

[Grayskull]

Hi guys. SO talking to some people about our first character in EQ, I remembered my old little dwarf warrior that I played up to the mid 40s on live, back in pre-velious days, and I remember having a lot of fun on him. HOwever, I also remember deciding not to play him anymore because it was too difficult to group with shit gear. So, what that in mind, questions:

1) Are warriors as gear dependent as I remember them being?

2) If so, what is the bare minimum amount of gear I could buy for a warrior alt to not DIRELY need upgrades until the mid 30s?

3) I played a dwarf warrior on live. Is there any super important reason for me to pick a different race?

4) I wasn't a very good warrior back in the day, anything I should know?

5) Any good guides on leveling progression for warriors?

Thanks for your time