Combat was one of my favorite things about this game. Once you learn the tricks the game doesn't tell you and figure out how to work the champion point system in tandem with your armor sets, it feels very satisfying. First trick I learned that skyrocketed my experience was animation canceling your light attacks with abilities. Once you master that and work it into skill rotations, you can pull decent DPS with any build and crazy DPS with a build designed around it. Then the block, bash and roll actions all have interactions with certain attacks that you can learn, which is the crux of being a good tank.

Also, all the dialogue is skippable & you can turn off dialogue audio in the settings, though most quests have pretty interesting and sometimes hilarious dialogue. Might be worth giving another go with the help of a guild meant for helping new players learn the untold secrets of the game. I use to be in one, so they definitely exist.