Ah, that makes a lot more sense and also definitely intended in the setting the dev's making. Also, I didn't realize I was getting shit xp from fights since it never told me how much xp each kill was unless I go check it myself. Still, I do have some gripes with enemy moving around way too fast, too frequently. And letting your companion fight is the way to make fights more fair as they also have access to the movement and also good tracking on the enemy. But, I can live with it.
Side note, needing 10 points in survival just to cook better food is insane when you only get 1 point per level. Same for scout. They better be worth it.