Character progression
Plan your formation around compatible elements and races. Compare PVE progression and PVP needs separately; resources spent on a favourite unit should still improve a functioning squad.
Your first objective
Upgrade for a clear objective: a story gate, a survival problem or a particular challenge. Identify the character and skill responsible for that objective, then compare the improvement with its resource cost. A damage upgrade cannot fix an unusable rotation or a missing defensive role on its own.
A practical sequence
Check the current level and unlock requirements. Choose one relevant skill or passive, inspect its available levels, and compare its numbers with the next practical upgrade. Review the equipment’s main stats and conditions afterward. Record the remaining materials in the planner and test the target encounter before committing a second round of expensive upgrades.
Before spending resources
Keep base stats, talent levels and duplicate-based upgrades separate. Constellations, Eidolons, Mindscapes, Portrays and other systems do not share a universal value scale. Read the actual unlocked effect instead of assuming every duplicate is equally useful. The local planner tracks goals you enter; it does not import your account or calculate unverified material costs.