I really thought DAOC's PvP/RvR playstyle was the best. The main features were:
- safe areas -- there were lots of safe zones, and a player could max level without ever leaving it
- PvP areas -- these included castles that you could occupy, and also contained Relics that buff everyone on that side. Capture the Health Relic, and everybody in your faction gets a buff to HP (example). This makes fighting for the Relics worth it.

I would like to propose a similar thing for Xsyon: allow Tribes to place safe zone totems. A player could theoretically sit in the zone and make baskets, and they would be safe forever.

But also include other zones where Totems are not safe, or where you cannot place totems. For example: make a radioactive scrap pile that has an extraordinary resource, found only there. To craft the best weapons, you need that resource. But you can't place a totem on it, since it's radioactive. It's a resource you have to fight over in PvP space.

This requires PvP to achieve the best crafting results, and also allows players to avoid PvP if they want to.

Another idea would be to have a pre-placed neutral Totem, that has to be claimed and defended. This totem already controls some scarce resource. Other Tribes can come attack and take over this totem, and it cannot be destroyed. This makes for a permanent PvP object to fight over. Or create a "Fountain of Youth" that once take over, provides a buff to the controlling Tribe.

These approaches would mimic DAOC's, in the sense that PvP is optional, but profitable. To achieve the best results would require PvP. Both types of players can play their own styles.

To implement full PvP and no safe zones, would restrict the market for the game to a small minority, since most PvE type players and crafters would leave.