Yeah, it is "dead" zone, but what else if its purpose is killing, bringing people "dead". Isn't it normal? ;P I would be really worried if people would kill themselves there all the time.
But why is it that, you can't really see fights there? It is quite simple. People don't group up really often only to kill themselves, so that one goes to DR. People go there hoping they have someone to fight. They arrive, see no one, wait 3 minutes and leave. You won't go afk there, so it is boring to look around all the time. A fight takes less than 3 minutes. The winner stays and looser goes straight to DR. You can't except people to stare there for hours, waiting for another duelist, only to kill him in 3 minutes. People come and go and most of the time find noone, because noone is staring and wasting their time. Some are lucky to find there someone and fight. But that's it.
I also believe the combat system isn't really good. I'm not complaining. It only needs development. But removing the area forever, only because it didn't passed the test in bad conditions, is a bad idea.
It is like making second ore mine, but very far away... finding out noone mine there and thus removing it. Even though it was great idea that the far away mine was in stone labyrinth, because mines in Yliakum are logically too small, gets depleyed eventually, noone use the new mine, because the system is made different t the reality. Everything bsides how far is the mie doesnt matter at all.
It is not the new mine, which is at fault, but it is the system.
Same goes with the new pvp area.