I remember in MH Tri that you would get a “level” of some elemental resistance for each 5 points of that elemental resistance on armour pieces. Like, 4 points would give you no benefit at all, but 5 points would give you low elemental resistance, 10 points mid, and 15 points high (or something like that). So little me thought I would have a little bit of everything, having a couple of points in each resistance, and I only much later found out I actually had no benefit at all. So my question is: do the points/resistances work in the same way in MHW too, or does each point count? I searched the internet but surprisingly did not find an answer.
Your type of thinking was very common with new hunters, especially on skills. I think it was probably the biggest factor in the rework of the activation system for world/rise. So, yeah, there are no thresholds to meet anymore. If you slot 1 level of anything, you will see a benefit, just maybe not worth it until you get more for certain skills.