If you aren't having fun, its more than likely you're not experimenting enough.
Alot of the gameplay in and out of combat is extremely flexible, between spells, character traits and the situation at hand.
It honestly so flexible, that if you approach it like standard AAA games, you're missing out.
For example, some of the spells that seem irrelevant are some of the most powerful and game changing when used in different ways.
Also when it comes to interactions, it's quite different than standard game interactions. You can lie, set people up and change your mind in any situation. You can double cross anyone. This is viable tactic and the game will respond to it accordingly.
A small example. I told a faction I would help them, then told the enemy of the faction I told them that. Then told the faction that I told the enemy and the game will respond to it.
Experiment with everything.