Want to know

I just started this server and am about to hit 70, I was debating whether I should buy a character with decent gear or just try to get gear myself through lfging and such with long grinds, I leveled for the experience of it but I just want to know from someone whos done it how long would it actually take me to get decent gear on this server? what is the community like? is it tough to get into groups? and if I wanted to pvp how long is that gear process?

-Shadow priest :)

If you want PvP, then grinding for basic S2 set is going to take you months taken into account that there are soo many undergeared players afking or pissing about.
Concerning PvE I can give you several pieces of advice.
First: Get DUAL SPEC ASAP. It costs only 200g as far as I know.
Secondly: Be healer. It's more difficult to get a priest healer than a priest DPS or any dps for that matter. Especially good healers. As secondary you could have shadow spec.
Third: When you play healer or SP, it is very important that you add to friends the tanks that you enjoyed playing with. Once they notice that you play well, they will go with you if you just ask them. That's how I have done and I have had NEVER ever problems with tanks, despite what others may be whining about.
And lastly: Ask someone with experience regarding Priest's gear: Which BoJ items are an absolute must and which are not. For example, originally I ground whole eq for pala healer, not on this server, that cost me around 600 BoJs (+-100 bojs) - the mace, pants and chest alone cost 350 BoJs. However, trousers and chest I swapped while playing T6 content, which was 4-6 months after having bought them so this investment was very wise. Mace? Is comparable to that from S2 PvP set SLIGHTLY better. I never bought totems or trinkets for BoJs - waste of gold. Cause there are many replacements comparable or even better so it's just waste of time grinding to get gear that you will swap out next month. That was also my approach and it saved me around 300 BoJs (I didn't buy back, trinkets, totems, weapons and other ****. Both the healing neck and weapon I had from PvP and the neck I wear still in SWP. I bought as first chest/trousers/boots from Quel Danas, each 100g - they cost a lot, I know, but they will last till t6 content)
In short try to find as many replacements as you can that are COMPARABLE, but NOT much worse than what you can get from BoJs so you can enjoy the playing on the server and not be depressed about how much you still have to grind BoJs to be allowed into raiding content.
I hope this helps ;)

Hi gearing a shadow priest can be very easy since there are alot of items that are BiS pre t6 that are quite easily obtained.
Shadow priests are also in high demand for raids i think every raid i do its a stuggle to find the SP.

first of all u should get craftebles for this u will have to farm gold and lvl tailoring.
One could even say that one is not serieus about being a shadow priest if they do not get the shadow weave set.
the set is AMAZING for Shadow priests and you will not replace it untill prolly 4set t6.

crafteble items that you should get :

shadow weave set (gotta tailor urself)
spellstrike set (can buy from AH)
belt of blasting(can buy from AH)
bracers of nimble tought(can buy from AH)

optional - cloak of the black void pre raiding bis blue cape

you will be like half epic geared like this witout even having to set foot in a intance and thems are not just epics no they are epics that are realy good for you and will not be replaced untill endgame stuff comes. i must say tho most of theese crafetbles are very **** for PVP. yes they give alot of dmg but they are also low on stamina so u will die fast. so if u wanna go full pvp crafetbles might not be the way to go.

as for badges i would say the dagger and trinket are very good for you.

GL HF