"The combat mechanics are simple as hell ..."
There's an old saying, "anything is easy once you know how". Combat in this game is not intuitive; it is less about weapons and armor than about instantly deciding what attack to use against what opening, or what defensive move against what attack. Some players adapt well to this, some do not.
But my complaints regarding PvP are not about the arcane mechanics but about the rampant unprovoked violence which deters many from this game. The attitude of "Look! There's a player outside their pali. Let's kill them!" The fact that most markets and public wells will be destroyed within a few weeks of opening "because it's fun". The perpetrators of these acts care nothing for other players, only for their own sadistic satisfaction in death and destruction. And this group is one of the most vocal in the game, constantly denouncing any who do not support their scorched earth style of play.
The argument that anyone can learn combat is true. But not everyone wants to devote a major part of their game time to becoming combat proficient at the expense of building their farms, villages, or markets. And not everyone is interested in a hack-and-slash game.
![Trollface ¦]](./images/smilies/troll.gif)