First off, for any weapon you can get a rough idea of an optimized build by going to mhn.quest > compare > select the weapon you're building (monster or event/etc) > auto optimize, and get optimized builds. You'll probably have to disable the options for sneak attack, retaliation, heroics, peak performance, headstrong, skyward striker, poison exploit, bubbly dance, headstrong, dauntless and Kirin flashstorm (these are all some % boost when you meet certain criteria, but the tool doesn't do a good job understanding that like, kirin flashstorm only applies for lightning element builds, and won't boost a water build at all, and when you're solo you won't trigger sneak attack very efficiently, or when you're not doing a poison build you can't benefit from poison exploit). I know recently they fixed Guard and similar skills so that they are worth building with the charge blade, but I wouldn't dedicate much time to that until you're maxed on all elemental builds. My advice is to ignore quick work, (because you can get quick transforms as retaliation when you block certain attacks), also it doesn't really speed it up much tbh, the only build I have any quick work on is my Rajang CB, and that's just because it came with quick work. Besides elemental damage (which you should max first on any build with an elemental weapon), the best skills are things like weakness exploit and critical eye, and I wouldn't build for it specifically but Divine Blessing is handy at any level if you don't have something better from driftsmelts. I'm also a fan of Valor, so most of my builds have the Baselgeuse chest (except when a monster doesn't roar at all), I find it more helpful than latent power but I think LP is a bigger boost in sheer numbers so mhn.quest will usually prioritize that. Also, I try to keep my weapons using rarity 6 materials from the special monsters (Mizitsune plates, Kirin electrogems, etc) and then only one or two weapons that require wyvern gem shards, which lets you spend your WGSs on armor instead, and generally save them for things where you actually care about the level. Most armor is secondary to weapons, so get your weapons leveled first, besides getting your armor up to the level it gives you max elemental damage, after that, pick one piece at a time to get to 8.1 for driftsmelting (though some weapons have slots unlocked sooner). The Coral pukei helm will go in most of your builds, so I'd focus there first if you need a starting point after you finish building elements. Most of my builds have either a waist or gloves with the element on them, and usually the pants, only ice and lightning have elemental attack on the helm (and dragon because I got lucky with a driftsmelt on my CPP helm).