I think I figured it out—-if you hit b, to bring up the WvW menu when downed, then click “Leave the Mists” you will go back to your PvE map, dead, but——when you revive to a WP, you dont have a shield indicating a need of repair, so it would seem that death you take is like a fall outside of combat. And I would imagine that if your attacker wasnt fast enough to drain your life or stomp you, they dont get XP or loot.
