Except Skyrim is dumb.

I actually wasn't disputing that.

My angle was, in lieu of that, it's still (a lot) people's favourite RPG.

That's cause the 'dumbing' they did, is actually what people wanted, in lieu of what they said.

Essential is a good point. I see people complain about this sometimes, but again, they're essential now, cause the data almost assuredly showed;

Players companion dies -> Player reloads.

The takeaway from seeing data like that on nearly ever player would be:

Players don't enjoy this, so streamline it or remove it if it can't be streamlined.

I will admit myself, if a follower died in NV, that was a hard reload. Every time.