Is upgrading even necessary?

So im doing my first playthrough, im currently level 22 and all my weapons are level 1. I just beat hushed saint and didnt really struggle all that much. His moveset was a bit difficult to get the hang of but in terms of tankiness he was pretty average, despite me being low level for this area. (or so i thought) so is leveling not really necessary, just not needed heavily until after this area, or am i just really good?