This isn't an ARPG, but there are games entirely devoted to killing monsters to upgrade your equipment so you can kill more monsters to upgrade your equipment. In D:OS, and the earlier Divinity games, equipment upgrades are part of developing your character.
In one of the latest kickstarter videos it was said that crossbows were the, or one of the, most powerful weapons in the game, and the most powerful crossbow in the game could be made by crafting (multiple steps). I would assume you'd need a high level of crafting for that crossbow, but you can meet the requirements for crossbows early in the game.
After you get to the first town, you are free to continue on completely unprepared, and with a little luck and a good strategy you can even survive. If not, there is lots of stuff to do within Cyseal, party members to recruit, etc.
