I was initially planning to buy this game but I'm currently having some lingering second thoughts after finding out that this game doesn't have a 'New Game Plus'. My main problem with that one is that I might end up grinding mindlessly during most of the game and only during the last few hours of the game will I be able to enjoy exploring the world as a complete form of my chosen class (Pretty much my experience playing KOTOR).

So if, for example, I would like to play as a Stealth Archer, is it possible for me to master all the skills I need quickly enough so that I can still spend a significant majority of the game being free to do what I want without having to worry about more grinding?

Is this game for me?

I'm going to guess Dragon Age.

" I'm going to guess Dragon Age. "

" @BeachThunder said:

" I'm going to guess Dragon Age. "

that or Divinity 2. "

ah crap. Sorry. I'm always under the impression that choosing add topic on the forum I'm viewing will move my thread to that forums. T_T
 
Please move this to the dragon age origins forums.

There is no grinding in Dragon Age.

You really do not need New Game + as the game is pretty big if you decide to do all side quests and explore a lot of people clock over 50 hours for first play through.
The game also has a dynamic monster leveling which means that a lot of the time the things you are fighting will be your match in strength (within reasonable limits)
Some areas have higher level ranges some lower, but there is some scaling going on. Not as crude as Oblivion, but it still makes the game smoother. so you pretty much explore and do what you want from the get go.

I'm really more interested in mastering skills that will make my build what it is than buffing up my basic stats. I heard from a friend who played the game that level progression is incredibly slow and that's what scares me. I've been reading up on this game's combat system and skills sets though and to it's credit, I find that making specialist classes here require less skills to master compared to KOTOR where even the most straightforward warrior build still has to cover almost half of the skill/force charts just to maintain endgame competence. 
 
Still...being told about leveling being slow isn't exactly good news for me. Is this even true?

Not that I'm expecting to get my ass kicked if I don't play using specific builds but the only reason I like RPGs is because I get to play the game the way I want to except that most RPGs usually force me to grind for the first few hours before I can play with a complete build which is no fun at all. So with a RPG without a New Game Plus such as this, my measure of how much fun I can get out of it is where the initial grinding stops and I finally start playing the way I want to until the point where the credits roll. I mean let's face it: simply swinging a dagger until the bad guy dies just isn't as fun as quietly sneaking behind someone and stabbing them in the back. The faster I switch from 'average grunt' to 'deadly assassin', the more mileage I can get for the rest of the game. ^_^

If after you gather your core group of teammates (enough to fill all spots), and then take off to the tower (that's all I'll say on that), by the time you are finished with that you'll get a strong bump in your skills.  With a game like this using your team is vital, so if you think you'll be lone wolfing a lot of the fights, you're going to die a lot.  It's a great game and I guess you could be a stealth archer, although I'm not sure what that is.  Archery is a skill set in the Rogue class which also handles "stealth" but you're visible as soon as you start fighting, so...it is good for backstabs, though.  Additionally, archery was kind of weak in the base game.  So much so that PC gamers made a patch to boost it so that is was a viable skill class.  The expansion, Awakenings, supposedly rebalanced all of the non-magic skills, but having not played that, I can't say for certain.   It's a great game and I will always recommend it to anyone who's into RPGs, but if you are looking for a game where you are king of the hill and the others just carry your suitcases, then this is not for you.  Of course, I need to add that my experience is only with mages and rogues.  Warriors might be that king-of-the-hill class and I just don't know it.

Sounds like you need to play WoW

" If after you gather your core group of teammates (enough to fill all spots), and then take off to the tower (that's all I'll say on that), by the time you are finished with that you'll get a strong bump in your skills. "

Yeah, you basically need to get Dragon Age. There's no getting around it. You can like Mass Effect or not like Mass Effect, but Dragon Age is just a whole other experience. It's on a whole other level in terms of content and the size of the world. Besides, in DA:O you get to have three party members with you. It's pretty interesting the different combinations you can make. That, in and of itself, will give you a few playthroughs.