So HR4 is high-rank. I think i'm just going to knuckle down and blow through the next few quests without focusing on materials upgrading. Get to High Rank, get Tetsucabra armor again (has good skills and the monster was easy to handle with beginner armor, so should be easy to handle with off-rank armor), and then start building.
Is there a point where the Guard-Up/Guard + armor comes around again? I hate having to choose, the two skills are needed to complement each other so i can go "shield up, no worries." Especially due to the auto-guard talisman this game gives you, so i wouldn't even have to worry about my shield being up as long as my weapon was drawn and idle
Monster Hunter: pissing me off since 2010.