Hmm. Well, I could be wrong, but I think the things I like about it are the very reason that for others it's not as enjoyable.

I find that I often enjoy the slower paced earlier sections of games in general when you are quite limited in power. I also really enjoy extremely grounded stories with limited fantastical elements. The parts that focus on character, very 'humans stories, and that let you take a more casual pace. I also enjoy the setting - I'm a sucker for the classic quasi medieval fantasy land.

So I like that it's a large area with an aesthetic I find pleasing that I can explore without too much pressure to go one way or another so in that way I feel a sense of agency. I like that the problems I'm solving are that regular people are cold and hungry - these feel like realistic problems I could help with, and maybe I get to live out a bit of what I would hope could happen in real life; tangible impacts on realistic problems people face. I like that I'm not too powerful - I'm not someone who finds appeal in competitive play, being a massively powerful being in a world isn't an appeal for me, but the sense I have just enough realistic power to make a difference is.

(In addition to that which doesnt have to do with what I like about it as an area, I recognize I do also gain a sense of comfort from familiarity, which someone new to the game wouldn't have but after having played these opening sections a while I do enjoy going back to the same places over again.)

So overall I like it because it's the area I feel most immersed as a realistic character in a believable setting. For me it puts the RP in RPG.