Yea NV is alright but it still has the primary issue that F4 obviously did not learn from.
No one to carry my burdens.
Now granted, we all play the Beth games differently And I get that. But personally, my playing style results in burdens. And if I have no one to carry my burdens, say, a 6 foot in stripper boots Nord Valkyrie with a Daedric sword and an attitude problem, well, I feel somehow less of a player. And I feel the game suffers for her loss.
So ultimately I used to be a courier, like you. But then I took Lydia to a meadehall.
Huh??
You never got a companion or repaired the ED-E eyebot?