Combat is one of the three pillars. The playable characters are fighting monsters, enemies or anything.
Combat should not be limited to killing enemies and surviving.
Reference
Let’s Design an Adventure: Encounters and the Three Pillars
Highlights or timestamps
Let’s Design an Adventure: Encounters and the Three Pillars Highlights
- the game’s designers talked frequently about the “three pillars” of D&D: combat, exploration, and roleplaying/social interaction f651d9
— 1721247552-lets-design-an-adventure-encounters-and-the-three-pillars-highlights from Let’s Design an Adventure: Encounters and the Three Pillars Highlights