... against adding effortless rewards as suggested by the OP ...
Who said anything about effortless?
It's the beta island version of exploring (without a geoscanner).
You still have to find it (and it may not be as easy as you think...). What if it's guarded?
I am surprised that you do not see the bigger picture here.
Are we not surrounded by advertisement offering “free” things?
There is always a catch, isn't it?
Like that “free” entrance for girls at a night club.
“ Come in girls, it's free!”. Only the smart ones realize there is a hidden cost.
There are no freebees.
Same here.
It may be easy to go on beta now, when it takes hours to see someone there, but this could change when more people are lured in.
“Free stuff, come get it!”.
People will go there like moths to a flame.
This leads to competition.
Competition is PvP.
Didn't you want more PvP? How does it matter how it started?
Want "free" cheese?