Potentially silly questions

[Miraglyth]

Two things I've picked up on rather quickly after getting this game:

1) The Laser SMG upgrade increases its damage. This means a low-level Laser SMG is better for getting combos because you get more hits out of each enemy, which according to the tooltip is its primary purpose. So upgrading it is bad?

2) When you die (which against that stinking platform-destroying area in level 3 and the jump animation that lies and makes you think you're higher than you are, is all the time) you lose all your grenades, but not your materials. Surely this means it's bad to buy grenades unless you're about to use them?

Someone correct me if either of these are wrong or if there's anything I've missed. It just seems both of these are somewhat backwards.

[MithranArkanere]

I never lost any grenades after death. Anything I crafted or picked I kept.

[Miraglyth]

I'm definitely losing them here. Testing it now. If I hit a checkpoint, then buy grenades and jump in a pit, I get a game over, and hitting continue returns me to the checkpoint with 0 of both.

[realshin]

But do you get the materials that you used to craft back?

You are right and wrong about the laser, it's faster to get 99 multiplier with a lower level laser, but it's perfectly possible to get an SS rank with a maxed one. And only in levels 1 and 2 the only way to get 99 is farming (altough in the later levels, a low lvl laser makes a 99 multiplier easier too).
A maxed laser is a very powerful weapon, but the red one is best for bosses.
Basicaly, is doesn't matter, upgrading or not, will do.

[Miraglyth]

But do you get the materials that you used to craft back?
One moment...

Edit: Yeah. A restart and a crash later, and it's working now. Dying resets materials and grenades to where they were at the checkpoint instead of wiping the grenades and not refunding the materials.

Data cubes picked up after the checkpoint still seem to count though. Guess I shouldn't complain about that one.

And only in levels 1 and 2 the only way to get 99 is farming (altough in the later levels, a low lvl laser makes a 99 multiplier easier too) ... Basicaly, is doesn't matter, upgrading or not, will do.
From what I've played so far (up to the end of stage 3), it wouldn't surprise me that the game is reasonably beatable either way. It's just strange that there are useful advantages to not upgrading. I'm guessing you can't downgrade either, which just makes it a bad idea overall.

New question - Aborting a mission gives a warning about losing stuff you've picked up that mission. But I know if you switch to a different mission you keep pickups in the mission you left. So if aborting does stop you getting stuff you picked up, what's to stop the player switching to a different mission then aborting to circumvent it?

Edit: Ah, aborting doesn't revert materials (and presumably cubes) picked up in the uncompleted mission. I guess the warning it just about check points then.