It all boils down to the pvper. Pvpers are the biggest consumers, meaning they need to be heavily supplied. They use more pots, gear, basic stuff than any other character. Without pvpers the farmers, crafters, every other kind of character have no one to sell their stuff to or run from. So when you take out the pvper the economy falls apart. That is one of the main reasons siege is dead!
Your opinion. I know many many many pvm'ers who pvm for the joy of pvm'ing. They don't pvm to sell their wares to other people. They genuinenly enjoy exploring, hunting, or socializing. Pvpers see pvm as an path to pvp'ing. You pvm to get the resources to pvp. Pvm'ers see pvm as the end game.
Yes, pvp'ers use more consumables, so possibly if pvp died crafters might not sell as much. But remember pvp'ers gear just gets recycled. If you die with 20 cure pots on you, someone else just loots them and uses them. If a pvm'er dies with 20 cure pots on them, and can't get back to their body, they're are gone forever and need to be replaced. So it's not as bad as you think.
May I add that your opinion looks like swiss cheese.
UO just got it's first expansion in almost 5 years... roughly 6 months ago.
You're telling me that people who love to explore and hunt new ****... just up and left after a ton of new **** and new places to explore were put in?
That just makes no sense...
Maybe try again?
A. Did I in my post say anywhere that I am only referring to the people who have left in the last 6 months? No, people were leaving this game prior to 6 months ago.
B. Did I anywhere in my post say anything about hunting or exploring NEW places? No.
C. Can people enjoy hunting and exploring areas that have existed for many years? Yes.
I'm sorry if you don't grasp this concept, but yes, people actually enjoy hunting, exploring, and socializing in this game. And over the years, many of these people have left, and I'd be willing to bet that contrary to the OPs position, the primary reason these people left is NOT because faction artifacts cost 5x that of prodo prices.