MMO's and WoW

I've always liked online games the most, the human interaction and potential for interesting scenarios intrigue me. I started with WoW because it had a fascinating world in the sense that each area seemed masterfully crafted and part of a real world.

The gameplay kind of sucks but that's made up for by the environments being different and unique and the quests kind of having a point, it was a treat to do some of the beginner quests. Now I mostly want to play online mmo's but can't find anything that is crafted like WoW's environments but actually has decent gameplay. Vindictus is fun but you can't even make your own character, Neverwinter has weak character classes and the dungeon questing is the most boring thing I've ever played, Planetside 2 has terrible character upgrading and weapon unlocks.

I just can't seem to find anything that sticks that feels worth playing, had more fun with NFL 2k4 and Earth and Beyond from way back than anything today. Graphics get better but the gameplay and customization get worse. I want an mmo kind of game that has decent character customization and actual varied classes and not the same healer/staff,rogue/stealth/backstab, warrior/shield combos. Kind of like in Dark Souls or Dragons Dogma where you have a lot of freedom to how you want to play but a persistent world where the questing is interesting and the quests seem to have risk. In Neverwinter it's the same experience over and over and the characters are all pretty much the same based on very few build possibilities. In Neverwinter there is an Icewind Dale module (the original was one of my favorite games) and it brings none of the appeal that the original did because the builds are so similar with so few spells and abilities and the environments look bland so it really doesn't look like Icewind Dale at all and I have no desire to play it.

Path of exile is actually pretty good in this regard, unfortunately it's a point and click and not a true 3d game like WoW. There are so many games out there that there must be one that has the 2 things I'm looking for. Graphics don't really matter to me. Thanks for any suggestions

Try ArcheAge

Try LOTRO or ArcheAge. LOTRO is gonna make you throw money at it once you hit 30 but it's very much WoW-like. ArcheAge is good so far but you really need a sub to get the most out of it.

Guild Wars 2 seems like exactly what you need. it's cheap too.

Do not try Archeage, its riddled with bots, its impossible to get on a server at all times, and Trion has terrible customer support.

1. EVE Online satisfies both areas. Player interaction is key with this game and nothing more. You also get to choose your own path in life in this game, hell, you can choose to be a noncrafter.
2. Guild Wars 2, being notorious for being one of the most anti social mmogs out there has extremely little player interaction, which can be attributed to the lack of interdependence and a fast pace. However the customization is good, and players are not shoehorned into one of 3 specs. Instead players can pick whatever active skills they choose and 2 weapons to go along with that (for most classes anyways) allowing even warriors to go for support builds. That is in theory at least, in practice everyone has to go berserker to be viable in groups. Great idea, awful execution... like the rest of that game really, minus the living story, that was just a terrible idea with an even worse execution.
3. Archeage fits both needs, but unfortunately suffers from some seriously questionable design choices.
4. RIFT much like Guild Wars 2 doesnt have much player interaction (more than GW2 though), but has a lot of customization. Players can go pick 3 souls (talent trees), invest points in them and create their own build, unlike WoW, there is a lot more diversity in builds, and any class can fulfill any role, so this includes healing thieves. There are 4 roles, the typical trinity and a forth "support" role, who fulfills the role the group needs depending on the situation, there are far more viable builds in this game than any other themepark mmo.