Campaign or PVP character for PVP + other newbie questions

Heya all! Real basic question here. Well, questions, I'll get a bunch out of the way.

* Is there any value to bringing a campaign character into PVP instead of a PVP character? Specifically I'm wondering about top-level armor. Looks aside, can I remake everything I can find in PVE with PVP unlocks? It seems like gladiator armor (+energy for warriors) would be able to be plugged with addons to make it very over the top, but it could be because my armor is so old (Pre-expansions Prophecies) that it merely looks like it's not using plugins to get the +energy, when in reality it is. I still have a full suit of dragon armor on my PVP warrior after all.

* What's the benefit of being in an alliance with the most Luxon or Kurzick faction? I've never really had this spelled out for me clearly.

* Further, GW seems like a very, very PVP-heavy game. So why are people grinding for plat or drops? Is it purely for fashion reasons? Are there things you can't unlock via Priest of Balthazar (It seems to be the case for +50 health/+3 attribute runes)?

Thanks!

only difference between pvp and pve characters is that the pve characters have a larger diversity of armor and weapon skins.
the benefit of being in a alliance with most faction is access to elite areas.
people grind for money for pride and things they might want for their pve characters down the road.

There is no real advantage to PvPing with a PvE toon, aside from being able to monk with a Tormented shield or smack someone down, and feel l33t about it 'cuz you did it in Obsidian armour.

Alliances with lots of faction gain control over Kurzick and Luxon towns and outposts, gaining access to cut-price merchants. The alliance that owns Cavalon or House zu Heltzer has access to the Factions elite missions, The Deep and Urgoz' Warren respectively.

People farm for t3h monies to get pretty weapons and armours, or simply to have lots of money and godly Crystallines to stare at. Whatever.

nothing better than pwning someone in expensive armour with expensive armour as above person said

err even though most of my chars are pvp ready i prefer to use pvp chars as its just more easier for me

The looks on the armor is the only thing pve get that pvp dont, even the weapons you can just buy or get with pve characters then constumize it for your pvp char.

you actually can unlock those runes, but you have to unlock the minor and major versions of those runes first.

the only advantage pve characters have over pvp characters is the access to max items below req 9, such as req 7 shields. they are very rare, though.

Actually PvE charcaters do have access to a few very minor things that PvP characters don't. They have access to different pet evolutions, weapons with different damage types (Daggers or axes that do piercing damage for example), and possibly a few other very minor things.

Guys, about the pvp character not having access to under req 9 weapons or certain dmg type for weapons, your wrong, they do have access to them, they just have to do a bit to get them, in this case, make a pve char and go get them, or buy them from other people.