Did you try any mods that remove some of the limiter features? For example I played with encumbrance set to zero and all vendors with gold to sell you. Both were huge QoL improvements.
I would maybe suggest modding your defence to a high level, unlocking defence perks, and spamming block. The combat certainly becomes more manageable as you level up, unless you're simply fighting a group of people by yourself. Then it never gets easier.
Yes, not every game needs to appeal to everyone - the problem is that big publishers are always aiming for the lowest common denominator, that’s why we end up with many bland and similar games