In regards to your question a few direct Pvp Changes have taken place. 1.) Guard Ai has been immensely improved with even better Guard Ai planned as well as Guards being able to cast Heal in the near future. 2.) Lictors can now teleport to attack criminals, you are safe even from horse griefers in the bank, who try sitting on houses to snipe, the guards will still get the bastards.
3.) Now if you go outside the gates and get fondled by a passing group of mounted warriors that is where theaction...the.. I meant, that is where the problems for you start. Mining is basically impossible, so best advice get only a little bit at a time. Don't plan to sit there and fill up a horse or molva full of ore. Get like 1-2 stacks and then head back.
4.) I almost forget, we have Horse armor now. Works for all mounts too btw, so helps massively with survival.
you havent ran into the griefers with bone weapons killing tames in town. dying then coming back with no rep loss and doing it again. Every town has this issue going on right now. People log in, not to pvp or play the game, but to sit in town and kill peoples tames when they shouldnt be able too.
The rep system is a joke. If you murder someone you should be red and treated like a pker. not walk back into town 2 mins later like nothing happened.