I came from FFXI. EQ2 is a very different game.
You can solo in EQ2. You can choose to grind solo if you wish or you can xp by questing (or a combination of the two).
FFXI gave me my fill of grinding for xp and spending hours trying to put together a group; I choose to play EQ2 solo most of the time. I will group up for a heritage quest when I have to, but most of the time I quest for xp. I have a level 41 paladin, a level 35 bruiser and a level 26 dirge, all done on my own schedule, through questing.
That said, there are many different ways to play EQ2; I have found that you certainly don't need the timesink the way you did in FFXI.
Hope that helps!