You do not need to stop and fully farm every new gear set. Decide by three signals: are you carting often, are hunts taking much too long, and is your main weapon blocked by a key material? If progress is only a little slow, keep pushing. If survival and damage both fall behind, stop and rebuild.
Push Or Farm
Current state
Recommendation
You finish hunts reliably, just slowly
Keep pushing and upgrade along the way
You cart often
Improve defense, resistance, and healing
Chasing monsters feels inefficient
Fix camps and routes
Main weapon needs one key upgrade
Target that material
Co-op hunts suffer from your prep
Practice solo and improve item rhythm
Phase Logic
Phase
Focus
Early
Pick a main weapon and learn survival
Midgame
Craft around weaknesses and material targets
Late game
Start refining skills, second weapon, and harder goals
High rank
Re-check armor, resistance, materials, and co-op roles
