Hiya quaz
HC is not massive here as the dificulty of end game content puts alot of people off. as you have played d2 for so many years you will know the diffrences in mentality for HC and SC players so sadly atm HC population is very low. im also HC only player and have cleared some of the endgame stuff. i joined anni a few months back and was told then that all HC content had been soloed so it is possible but only by the very best and dedicated players.

as for skills there are a few new ones and some have been reworked one example being druid crow skill. it now has a % chance of crushing blow and they attack alot more and dont stop once blind is applied. some are still the same but @Game and the team are working very hard on adjusting others.

as for server im in england and have run in 8 player games with no issues. server is very good for a private server. i usualy run at around 140-170 which is more than playable. considering server is in us.

hope this helps abit and hope to see you and the better half in game soon