Start material farming from the recipe, not from the stage menu. Open the Crafting NPC, choose the gear you want, and write down the required materials before spending time in Story. If the recipe asks for a material tied to a later world, replaying early Leaf Village stages will not move that craft forward. If the recipe only needs early materials, farming harder content may be slower than repeating a stage you can clear quickly.
Material progress is grouped by world and act ranges. Leaf Village acts are the early material route for basic gear progression. GT City acts are tied to higher-tier materials after the account moves beyond the first world. Marine Lobby acts are tied to later materials, including higher rarity and awakening-related routes. Use these as routing clues and confirm the recipe in-game before committing a long farming session.
For early gear, farm the lowest act range that drops the needed material and can be cleared reliably. A fast clear with consistent drops is better than failing a harder act because the material is technically stronger. If your team barely survives, the run time and failure risk can make the harder route worse. Farm stable stages until the target gear is craftable, craft the piece, then test whether that gear lets you move into the next act range.
For mid-game gear, move to the world that matches the recipe instead of overfarming basic materials. Many accounts stay in the first comfortable stage too long and end up with a pile of low-tier materials but no path to the next craft. Once your recipe points to GT City or later content, switch the farming route to that world. If the team cannot clear it, the real blocker may be perks, traits, or a better temporary gear piece.
For late gear, start the grind only after the unit is worth the cost. Mythic, Secret, or awakening-related gear routes can demand later materials and more Gold. If the target unit might leave your team soon, farming late materials for that unit is risky. Choose late gear for a unit that has a role-matching trait, a stable team role, and enough use in the modes you are actually playing.
Separate material farming from general resource farming. A stage can be good for EXP, Gold, or account progress while being wrong for the gear material you need. When the goal is gear, the recipe decides the route. If you also need Gold for the craft, choose a farming loop that produces both the material and enough account resources to avoid getting stuck with materials but no money to craft.
Stop farming when the craft is ready. Overfarming one material before checking the next recipe can strand time in the wrong act. After crafting one piece, reopen the NPC, inspect the next needed material, and decide whether to continue in the same world or move. This prevents the common mistake of stockpiling early material while the next needed gear piece needs a different act range.
If a route gives exact material steps, compare it to your live recipe screen. Anime Squadron is new and gear values can change. Your in-game recipe decides the final farming target. When a material name or act range conflicts with your game, trust the current in-game recipe and record the difference before farming more.