Again, this doesn't align with reality. It's just factually incorrect.
No it's not - it matches my playthough. I often found worse weapons, after fighting enemies to get to a chest, than what I had used to defeat the enemies (and found elsewhere).
Once you start getting high/rare weapons, if you engage in random mob fights and the small enclaves everywhere you'll end up worse off. If you go for the big set piece areas (like the building maze) or combat shrines, then you *might* get an upgrade, you'll probably get something similar to what you used and there's a chance you get something worse.
Also made up. The game will draw the player towards higher areas of terrain and once there, encampments, landmarks, large enemies, islands, and shrines become more visible. Exploration absolutely lends well to engaging in combat. They go hand in hand. It's the game's core design.
It's not made up in a lot of cases. Sure, "big" exploration like going up a mountain or whatever will help you find the next big set piece and you might get better loot there...and will certainly progress the main mission. Small exploration (like investigating random bandit camps, poking around in a cave) can often lead to fights that are pointless, you'll waste time/energy fighting some random mobs, lose a weapon, and get nothing worthwhile back...for a net loss overall.
If you want to progress through the main mission, then you have to pick/choose your exploration carefully.
So for loot to matter to you, it needs permanence?
Not for most people, no...it DOES need to last long enough for you to use it to get even better loot....that's how 99+% of loot games (with increasing numbers and/or functionality) works.
Across the board - define that. Also, since you seem to have a strong opinion about the facts of the game, let's hear your pitch for balances and tweaks.
I would treble the life of most weapons, so that one weapon can take out 4 to 5 small enemy encampments. If the design goal is to get players to use lots of different weapons, then keep some durability....but also make sure the new weapon they get is equivalent to the one they're losing (in some way - damage output or versatility or whatever).
I would also make the starting inventory bigger, and the weapon switching buttons/menu much less shitty.
God speed to everyone that liked the durability mechanic, personally I really disliked it but I can see why/how some people loved it!