As a former EQ addict , I feel your pain. I just came back after a healthy 6 month break. I purchased SoD expansion , got mercs for all of my 16 characters, hit all the hotzones....soled very easily for mad exp...grouped quite a bit for grinding away. The game is fun as hell man and even easier to level up , get insanely good gear, and have a awesome time.
For me , alas, it was too addictive , so after like 3 weeks back , I stopped my sunscription, deleted EQ off my pc, and am now jutsa ghost haunting the forums.
Hope that helps