Do you need to invest EQ levels of time to advace regularly in this game?
"Advance" is a somewhat vague term. In PlaneShift you are not expected to be a strong fighter. You may want to train other skills instead. Be a craftsman. Mine for ores. Or simply roleplay your character. Infact, I would say that here, roleplaying is the best way to "advance", because the community is a very important aspect of this game.