At early parts of the game, always get yourself the most upgraded one but when you are in the middle and nearing the end, take the time to explore as you will be able to find rare equipment, near to legendary quality, that will be very useful if you are into fighting extra bosses that are way more powerful. (justpushstart.com)
So essentially you're guided towards taking on side quests as they're a better source of income early on in the game, with the added side benefit of increasing your Bracer level and gaining rare equipment / orbs. (gamingunion.net)
It's more likely to hit the cap on light through rare equipment before finding your first legendary item, unless you purchase one from several vendors found in the hub area, through either reputation or some rare commodity. (gamingunion.net)