The Spirit Realm

I am starting a shaman on the new progression server. I am really pumped about playing a shaman, and had a few questions. First I was wondering what is the best race. I know trolls get the snare necklace, but i was wondering how useful that really is, since I would prefer to be a barbarian. I was wondering how big a difference the snare makes. And if I do play as a troll, what is the best zone to lvl in early. Is ther newbie zone any good or should i do some traveling. Also any tips on good equipment to get form original eq would be great. Thanks for any help.