The "Wibbly Wobbly Reactive Style" of running away, turning back and attacking (rinse and repeat), which can be effective, is supported by br0ken game mechanics.
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I believe that style of fighting is mentioned here
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http://www.reddit.com/r/DarkSouls2/comments/2pv0xq/those_annoying_wibbly_wobbly_pvp_players/
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http://www.reddit.com/r/DarkSouls2/comments/2xo971/can_you_imagine_if_the_games_bosses_played_in/
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Just to be clear, I have absolutely no problem with random invasion pvp in which the host heals often, just stands in/fights in Warmth, plays the wibbly wobbly super reactive style, or hides by the bonfire and then continually summons phantoms. No problem with that at all.
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it is the host's world
the host is fighting to survive or advance though the level
"a burglar is not a guest," "invasion is not a duel"
Please, hear me out. I do, however, have problem with:
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arena pvp in which the opponent arrives in the arena and begins the fight by casting Warmth, and then stands there (expecting you to fight while they stand in Warmth) [Note: Warmth is a practically FREE spell. Sure you give up 1 tiny spell slot, but for a pyro with zero stat requirements it has a quick casting time and the duration of the healing effect is quite long. How long? Long enough for a player to cast Warmth and then run around the tower in the arena and make it back to the glowing Warmth if you chase them]
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arena pvp in which the opponent runs away, usually to the top of the tower (arena map 3, the statue furthest from the NPC Titchy), and then heals when there health gets low. You might say, "well, you can just chase them and punish the healer ..." What you are not understanding is that in Dark Souls II healing occurs at the start of the healing animation. Thus, on many occasions
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I have caught the healer, and attacked them and then watched them heal right through my attack. Gaining health, seemingly, without completing the healing miracle animation
I have caught up with the healer, who then stands on the very edge of the top of the tower, and begins the healing animation and then falls. Once again, abusing the fact that healing occurs at the start of the animation.
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So, what does all of this have to do with the wibbly wobbly reactive style? The wibbly wobbly reactive player is, essentially, abusing the fact that you would need to remain close enough to prevent THE START of the healing animation. They will throw out a few fakes, a few backsteps, but when you enter the range of their weapon they will perform a running attack usually with a weapon with a good horizontal slash, and then immediately go back to running away. If you begin chasing them, they run from you and just at the point where they think your stamina is depleted, they turn around and unleash a flurry of attacks to deplete the rest of your stamina bar and stagger you.
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The wibbly wobbly reactive players I have encountered in the arena are healers. Like I said, it can be an effective strategy. It is a high stamina build, supported by broken game mechanics, which seeks to have the entire engagement, essentially, occur mid-flight from the opponent.
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If Warmth had a very slow casting time (slow enough to make it more of an out of battle PVE spell and not an in battle PVP spell) this could represent a reasonable trade-off, since Warmth costs almost nothing; practically zero stat investment for a Soul Level 120, 150, or higher character.
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If healing ONLY occurred at the very end of the healing animation (and any hit OR fall would interrupt and cancel the healing spell/miracle animation), then running away in the arena would be more risky.
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Make these two changes and you would likely see a whole lot less wibbly wobbly shenanigans in the arena. I believe it would be less profitable. Right now, the person continually running away, who only faces you when he/she is ready to attack, is a player with a high stamina build that is always on the verge of a quick heal. [EDIT: Please don't try and say, "The person running away, they're just using the environment to their advantage ... " Look, in the Blood covenant, TWO of the three arena maps already encourage players to use the environment to their advantage. The arena bridge map is great for casters, especially if they catch the opponent in the middle of the bridge and unleash various Pursuers + Dark Dance, Pursuers + Recollection combos etc. The arena map with a catwalk above, a lower level and stairs at each of the corners, is great for healers who wish to use the environment by jumping down to the lower level, healing and playing all those hide n' seek shenanigans. Players who just want a straight up fight have ONE arena map with a semi-open space.]