Ok i'm calling BS on this one again. You seem so pre-occupied with PVP but the reality is that pvp is OPTIONAL. No one making you subject yourself to it.
I say BS because honestly even on BS once someone encounters you they either kill you or run away. That is not going to change regardless of your gear. Either they can beat you and farm you for BS duration or they avoid you for the duration. That is not going to change. If you think somehow during a fight instead of hitting perks/buttons people are going to sit down and inspect you, maybe you should give them a reason to pay attention to the fight lol.
I think that is just a smoke screen. As far as duels, again no one is making anyone accept duel requests, you can look at it on the flip side also. Those players with maxed out best end game gear won't be able to get duels because no one will want to fight them.