When I first picked up Skyrim, I thought the new crafting systems were a cool addition to the game. Finally you could roleplay as a blacksmith or hunter or gatherer. I would spend so much time collecting materials and ingredients to make a whole bunch of crazy concoctions and armors.

Then, I decided to ignore it. I created a new character who only used enchanting (sparingly at that) due to being a destruction/conjuration mage.

Oddly enough, I'm having WAY more fun with this character. I feel that ignoring these systems speeds up the pacing of the game to make it staggeringly more interesting for longer playing times. I realized how dull smithing and alchemy can be at times, and that most of the time you only do it for money and not actually useful potions. Plus, I don't feel cheap - quest reward money is actually enticing again as well as getting unenchanted gear in a dungeon. I feel a bit of the "loot lust" that wasn't there before.

This is ignoring how unbelievably overpowered the crafting is when used together - I never abused it anyway. I'm merely putting it out there that MAYBE the crafting is a little too much. Perhaps having set classes would eliminate the "do-it-all" craftsmen that Skyrim introduced. All I know is that my inventory is now filled with treasures I found out adventuring, not with lists of ingredients and hunks of metal I have to sift through for hours in the same town.

I don't think it hurts the game at all. I don't spend a lot of time doing alchemy and smithing, but I'm glad they are there and I have fun using them when I do. Though you have a point, that if you focus a lot on those things, it can be less exciting than stumbling upon those things in the world

The some of the most powerful, legendary, unique weapons and armor in lore are [censored] compared to the ones you can make on your own. So I just dump'em in my chest. Shame since they were suppose to be so great.