Cool. I am 3 hours into the game till now. Excellent combat. Once you get a hang of dodging and parrying, pretty easy fights till now.

Yes some side stuff got story tied to them but none of the side stuff affects main story. Talk to all your party members multiple times after every big story mission's to increase your relationship with them. Thid will unlock side quests for every character. Go back to camp regularly and exhaust every dialogue options at bonfire and when talking to characters.

Is there any story beats around the side stuff?

Very poor reason and so full of himself https://www.videogamer.com/features/former-skyrim-lead-defends-bethesda-loading-screens-necessary-bane/

Some tell him to play Forbidden West https://www.videogamer.com/features/former-skyrim-lead-defends-bethesda-loading-screens-necessary-bane/ Ise kehte hai waqt ke saath na badalna aur piche reh jaana. This is the reason starfield bombed. Stuck in 2012 like most MS Studios