I think a server transfer option and some server merges should be offered as soon as possible. For both new players and concurrent players, playing on a dead server or being seperated from the people you usually play with, makes the game a lot less enjoyable. Those little moments in-game when playing in a group and being left out does hinder the experience quite a bit and not even having the option to do anything about it makes it only feel worse. This is even more important for new players’ experience. If a new player picks a dead server to begin with, the initial impression of the game will probably not encourage them invest more time into the game. Yes, it is maybe somewhat the new player’s fault for not choosing a more populated server but even with that mistake, not having an option to change their decision is discouraging.
I know a lot of content has been coming out and the focus is elsewhere for most people, but anyone who puts a lot time into this game also wants this game to grow and have a larger community. I think this feature should be a much higher priority than it is now.