PvE is what we do 80%-ish of the time we play before PvP happens. Thus it's the foundation. PvE comes in many different forms. But something they all have in common is their physics. Shooting, eating, bucketing, carrying, pressing "F" and running. Thus the game becomes repetitive. Unlike in Legend of Zelda games, or Portal. One fun and unique mechanic can create a slew of new puzzles and bosses. Doing this in SoT will make the core gameplay loop overall more enjoyable.
"But it makes the pvp based on abusing pve items". Contain them to specific PvE regions if need be, call it "ancient magic" when the unique items provided for PvE dissipate into thin air out of the zone.
