[Agema]

Ultimately, games like Oblivion do require you beat things over the head or spellblast them very hard. I don't think they were ever intended as games where you can neglect combat, but as games where you have a large range of skills to supplement combat, or have a valid means of often avoiding combat. Most skills certainly allow you to approach missions in different ways.

This can seem disappointing, but to design a game where your herbalist/alchemist has a valid finish would be extremely hard. RPGs used to be nothing but combat grind: Might and Magic, the early Ultimas, Eye Of The Beholder up to Neverwinter Nights. Ultima 7 I think was the first where you could do more with your world, but it's the likes of Oblivion that are developing it and furthest ahead, and that development is still young.