Being new to SoD the one thing you want to keep in mind is that SoD and EQ are completely different, with the exception of client side similarities that can't be altered.
To answer your question from my player's perspecive, I think that xp goes much faster here than on live for a variety of reasons. There are group bonuses, zone modifier bonuses, as well as good amounts of xp that can be gained through level appropriate quests.