Playerbase is fine but only a small minority are any good, making pvp boring. In addition the people whom are good at pvp avoid it to further keep the illusion that they're good.
In conclusion, PvE server.
I thought you said this game requires no skill? Something along the lines of making Tetris look difficult?
How can you be good or bad at something that takes no skill?
It does. It's just that mere mortals literally can't afford to get to the point where skill has any impact. Most games have only learning curve, this game has entry fee in addition.
To be on topic, it depends how old "old player" you are. The game was only deserted at the time when incense was required to do any meaningful damage even to regular mobs, and that was relatively short time.