Push one link at a time. A new roll with an empty tree does not replace a pair you already understand.
First session
Follow the first Story session: codes, both slots, the +15% Attack node, then Story on a difficulty you can finish.
This week
Evolve the weapon you are actually using. Craft one accessory that matches the last failure. Move from Medium to Hard once the clear is stable. Pair a named duo if you own both halves. Read pairs before you split upgrades across four weapons.
Shadow Monarch
Queue Nightmare Shadow Gate only after Story is comfortable. The weapon is not an Arsenal pity target. Stage II is the point where Igris joins you. Stage III is the basic-attack upgrade. Four accessory slots and the 60% crit / 40% cooldown caps matter more than one more reroll once the weapon exists.
What not to chase yet
Zenless pity at 2,750 is an October 2 figure. The October 9 table instead prints Cataclysm at 0.005% normal odds and does not restate that counter. Miyabi is still listed as Lyth on a place-matched index. Neither fact makes Miyabi or Cataclysm required for the release acts.
Exotic trait rerolls stay scarce. Fortune is the trait to keep while you are short on materials. Deadeye and Supernova are the traits to stop on once the weapon is one you will keep.