Using a levitation scroll to access previously unassailable crooks and crannies has a certain zen-like quality, and looking out over the land and sea from the tops of mountains is simultaneously serene and empowering. Exploring Faranga only gets more interesting as your player-character gains access to magic. Backed by a dynamic weather system and surprisingly competent lighting effects, Risen sells Faranga surprisingly well.
Usable, pickable plants are everywhere - a sprig of mint restores some mana, a green apple some health. Say, a pack of wolves attacking a group of gravemoths, or a clan of gnomes cooking meals and tending to their (stolen) homesteads.