Get materials fast using material retrieval from nata, who handles all the village gatherers. Season of plenty means more stuff like mandragora from suja folks while sandstorms reveal hidden ore in windward plains, good to know. Resting at camp costs 300 zenny but refreshes everything and changes weather patterns which is pretty useful when you need specific materials. Breaking multiple monster parts during hunts gives way better drops and capturing adds bonus rewards too

Most efficient way is checking hunter's notes for seasonal tables, equipping botanist and geologist skills for faster gathering. World map shows real-time resource spots so you'll know exactly where to look. Math calculations aren't really needed since the game already shows where good stuff is, but if you're into tracking everything spreadsheets might give tiny advantages

Basic system works fine for regular hunting just make sure to match gatherers with their best regions and keep an eye on weather changes. Nata handles most of the complex stuff anyway so you can focus on the actual hunting instead of doing complicated math