I could get behind a game that makes cooking a viable profession by requiring it for regen.

I agree with you. I think having non-trivial downtime can make the game more horizontal.

Personally I like both long and one-shot fights. I believe both kind of fights can exist in one game.

My defense for one-shot fight is, in some ARPGs, RO and MOBA, there is no looting idle objects (gathering/mining/fishing). But in RO, lower level mobs drop materials that are useful all the way to max level. In MOBA, creeps and minions don't really grow much powerful and they give you gold all the way to late game. So one shotting weaker mobs for gold and materials is kind of the chill activity equivalent to gathering. But it starts difficult and you have to progress your character to turn it into a chill activity.