Bad example of something made "around PvP"...
Because game wasn't made around PvP, it was made around certain idea (ideologically/theoretically, “lore wise” is somewhat inappropriate to say here, although I really want to; there is world, there're rules for functioning and interaction with world and all its participants, regardless of whether this is players, or some its own automated elements), but not certain part of gameplay. They adhered to this idea without taking into account how players will behave in one case or another, all that they cared about in this case was that game won't go beyond scope of this idea and design being holistic. You don’t have to participate in PvP there, game isn't about it, it remains a matter of personal choice:But this game is good example of that you can organize open world with active PvP elements without taking into account "competitive" (E-sport "balance" type) idea.
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For first, try to explain it to Blizzard, and for second, you seem to be very one-sided and narrowly perceive idiological game concept (if you understand it at all). Mechanics aren't everything, mechanics are means and methods, and idea is goal and result, is design's arbiter. Game consisting of mechanics only... hmmm, well this mostly of what is WoW now, does it work?
I'd like to insert another quote with very funny system's description as a whole (it will be very much "to the subject" here):
Verbal visualization:
Imagine game as large complex robot, system of which can't be remade (these are game engine). All you can do about balance is Control Unit. Control Unit consists of 2 parts (with pinch-bars): 1) general (parameters and characteristics); 2) special (fine tuning for each individual subsystem); 3) they are interdependent. Since it's not possible to change system itself - for convenience, you can add pinch-bars, BUT with each removal of basic ones (which as you know are part of related system) problems will start to experience. What is now is a completely broken panel: 1) there are almost no pinch-bars on general part (strong arms, weak mind), there are electricity spark or RNG placed in place of broken ones; 2) special ones also suffered badly and they are so split that any change leads only to robot's squeal and helpless manipulators swings; 3) now they are trying to break dependencies, as a result of which system will stop working as a single unit (it has long been not working properly, but it'll be even worse).