When people ask what Dungeons and Dragons is, I say the table top version of Skyrim. Considering that I have been playing D&D regularly for 4 decades, that is the highest praise I can give.
Yes, there are exploits that use to power level (the crafting stuff is a bit wonky) and getting more experience points from making a dagger than fighting something is very weird, I can understand why they put it there.
The visuals are good, but be judicious in the use of mods, some are fantastic and others just eat your game (and the computer). However, there is something magical about being menaced by a flying roaring Thomas the Tank Engine :)