I feel like a very important thing to focus on to make this game a more well-rounded experience as well as encourage positive player interaction would be to make PVP be more involved in the game world with things like reputation on top of the already existing Reaper system. PVP players should be greatly incentivized to do it through the reaper's bones faction to reward playing as a specific type of character as well as penalize them for griefing as an unmarked ship.
The Reapers should be expanded to be a wider alternative not just to quests but also the Athena's Fortune faction at the end of the game since they're the enemies of the Pirate Lord. Players should be incentivized to join them each session if they plan on only doing PVP lest they get hit with penalties like being unable to do other quests or something more drastic like a reputation loss to their character.
Reapers should be like a path and not just something just anyone can do if they stumble across a broken ship's flag. Only Reaper emissaries should be able to be rewarded for taking down other emissary ships so their reputation as the terror of the seas has a gameplay element to it. They should be THE faction for PVP and operate basically as the opposite of the Pirate Lord's followers.
Some outposts should also operate as somewhat of a safe place for PVE players with measures to stop ships from shooting onto the land. Why would people that live and work there not care that you're destroying their livelihood? Things like brawling on land with other players while the NPC's watch and comment on it would be funny IF they got followed onto land from the sea and it would incentivize fighting over loot as one crew tries to defend themselves and the enemies attempt to steal them before they get wiped out and have to scuttle as a penalty.
