Yeah this was why I couldn't be bothered to finish 4, it just felt like a grind.
Yeah, I felt like they really dropped the ball with 4. Even though it was a clone of FC3, it somehow made the gameplay a lot worse. The aforementioned predator encounters, the fact that the first couple of hours of every new game are spent hunting animals in the starting area to collect pelts and upgrade your wallet/bags, the tedious sidequests (the Shangri-La stuff, racing, and arena fights were terrible), the hours of playing icon janitor picking up loot chests and collectibles that didn't add to the story, and the complete segmentation of the gameplay (clear towers/outposts) from the story scenes. Even the fortresses, which should have been a real strong point and tied in directly with the story, were simply glorified outposts.
Also, the fact that the only good ending is the one that happens 15 minutes into the game. The two other endings when you play all the way through -- just helping different authoritarians rise to power -- are disappointing.
lol 4 was an improvement over 3 in literally every way.