Have you tried GW2?
It’s the “beige diesel station wagon” of MMOs. It does everything people explicity ask for: tame monetization, distinct playstyles, a world that’s worth playing outside the most recent level-cap zones, broad cosmetic options-- but it’s still seen as an afterthought.
I don’t get why day-1 private servers aren’t a thing. If nothing else, it allows them to cast off some problematic customers: the guys in Outer Slobavia with 1750 ping can set up a private server and have a better experience, the chuds can set up their own servers where the gameplay is just exchanging slurs without burdening the official GMs.
I suspect it’s about economics; someone will setup a PS with the microtransactions turned off, or not enforcing license keys/accounts, and people will crowd it.