If I were you I would go on a PvE server. You dont have to sweat being ganked or typing in crappy Scottish Dwarf, unless thats the experience youre looking for. Remember, MMO's are usually long term affairs and Id hate to see you get to level 50 or something and decide you dont like a server. Sure, you can just pay a few bucks and get moved to another server, but still.
To be honest CG, Ive "known" you for a long time across a couple of boards, and knowing what you like in gaming Im not sure WoW is your bag. You have to like the carrot on a stick model and maybe be a little masochistic. Thats one of the things I love about WoW. With the proper effor, I can see incrimental improvement of my toon fairly regularly. I like sitting in front of my PC with a piece of paper furiously comparing what Im wearing to what I can upgrade too. On the down side is the grinding, and trust me, you WILL be grinding. The lions share of the quests are "go collect 10 Harpy gonads" and if there is an underlying story I still dont know what it is after four years of playing. You know I love WoW as much as I love oxygen itself, Im just trying to point out there is a huge gulf between WoW and the titles I see you rave about.
By all means give the free trial a spin. If you want, join server Azjol-Nerub and look me up. Im Horde, Undead and Im cleverly named Gfted. Id be more then happy to take you under my rotting wing and drag you kicking and screaming to level 80.