Exploration involves traveling through exotic areas and arriving at stunning locations. Along with following the story, you will discover different races, and also varied equipment and characters. Each time you arrive somewhere new, you’ll be able to outfit yourself with the local equipment and experience some of their culture. There will be no grinding through enemies to be able to advance to the next area. You will be able to advance at your own pace, and either push on with the story or take your time as you see fit.
Each town or city you find yourself in will be populated by an interesting cast of characters, with their own stories to tell. There'll be some good reasons to stick around some places, or to do a bit of extra exploration.