I DO like that we now have to try and find a spot to find the chest (THAT at least makes it feel more "Treasure hunty"). But yeah, *finding* that spot can be a bit tricky. However, once you do know where that spot is, you will more than likely remember it. Or do what I did, and take a screenshot of the exact location.... Personally I like how this system is working now.
@Sannio - I duplicated this issue in Vikland. I was near a monolith, and it gave me the "you sense that..." message. I ended up in combat, and during combat I got the message that I had used the monolith. I'm a keyboard player, and don't click a lot during combat. So it feels like this was triggered by an action during combat. Perhaps they should not be usable in combat? Or is that already the case?
Some switches allow you to interact with them from a distance. Usually I make sure that's turned off for puzzles and things like these monoliths, but I just checked and saw I forgot to do that with the monoliths. This means you can shoot the trigger for a monolith with an arrow or ranged spell to activate it. I'll disable this and you shouldn't be able to shoot a monolith to activate it.
I have completed all these Vikland treasure maps. Some are a bit tough to find. Searching and watching your back is rough at times. But it can be achieved. Currently have a full set of them again so I will attempt to do them again and see how it goes. I do agree the loot is not that great. I guess its the joy of the hunt that intrigues me most.