Would be nice to have an alternative way to receive shards, like pvp wise. Since there ARE players who only like to pvp.
But as usual, you must suffer through PVE to obtain the best PVP gear.
Out of the thousands of mini games I've played I've only managed to come up with less that 200 shards. The only way I actually got them was from the loyalty rewards.
I think it's time to rethink your loot system.
When Funcom employees discuss AoC:
"Hey guys.... I got a sick idea. How about for PVP..... We give them PVE"
"Yeahhhhh, thats a great idea!"