If you need compile-time stuff that constexpr can't do, then you have little choice. Of course, in reality, its very rare that you "need" compile-time stuff.
I wasn’t referring to genetics or saying that templates aren’t necessary or useful, or even that they aren’t common. Those uses of templates are relatively straightforward most of the time. Where templates, IMHO, become unwieldy is when trying to compute things at compile time. In many cases constexpr works here, but my point was that the remaining cases are relatively rare, certainly when you need it (as opposed to just wanting it, eg for performance).