The grind only gets better when you realize that you don't need to craft or upgrade everything. Of course, I only know which things to skip because I've done several runs already.

I usually skip bronze armor and wear troll instead. I don't upgrade my bronze weapons because they will be replaced soon. So, for bronze I'm just getting the ax, cultivator, atgeir, maybe the mace, and enough ingots for crafting upgrades, nails, or decorations. I do upgrade the troll armor and the fine bow as much as I can. The rest, I don't bother.

In the swamp, I go for the root chest piece, which will serve all the way into the Mistlands, as long as you don't bring it to a fire fight like frost caves or Yagluth. I'll get an iron helmet to boost armor without sacrificing move speed and keep the troll pants. Then I'll get the iron atgeir, and upgrade that, and an iron mace specifically for Bonemass. For tools, the iron pick ax is required. I skip the huntsman bow and wait for the draugr fang.

Silver doesn't feel like as much of a grind and with the plains coming up next, it's important to gear up again. Go ahead and armor up here, but only upgrade if you feel like it. Get the silver sword or Frostner made and upgraded if you plan to fight Yagluth later. Silver or iron chest piece, unupgraded, is good to have if you plan to go in the caves for the fenris set. I might just go for the fenris legs to go along with my root chest for the mobility factor, swapping them in and out between traveling and tanking.

In the plains, there is no mining. It's all about farming and fighting. Upgrade well because Mistlands is next and your padded is almost as good as carapace because carapace can only go to level 2. It's still a grind but the method of it changes here and in Mistlands.

In Mistlands, 90% of the mining is purely optional, especially if you make good use of a stone cutting bench. The grind here is more about exploration itself.