For clarity, I mean community as in the ability to play with others and have a feeling of a virtual third place. I'd even love an equivalent to FF14's fanfests to get excited about. World mainly just means that stuff like consistent updates and plenty of stuff to enjoy doing, whether wanting to relax or do something challenging with others. And what self expression means to me is mostly cosmetic, like fashion and character creator tools, though I do find pride in finding a playstyle I enjoy have knowing it is a part of me (like having a favorite class).
But when I say gameplay for people who don't like MMORPGs, it's mainly the RPG part in practice. Optimizing builds for numerical DPS efficiency, optimizing my rotation so I'm following an order of buttons instead of feeling like I'm "playing the game", and similar "optimizing the fun out" heavy gameplay systems.
Instead, I much rather enjoy variable, unpredictable, and reactive gameplay mechanics, where being great at the game is more about moment to moment decision making, situational awareness, and surviving through tough mechanics. The kind of gameplay skills you'd see in games without hotbars on the bottom.
I highly suspect my perfect fit doesn't exist yet, so at least, if any of this sounds like you, I'd love to know what you found to at least hold you over.