Quality of armors and weapons affect damage and protection. Both can be crafted to a maximum of Supreme 125 (which requires insane stats. I wonder if DDT can even do it).

Quality also affect the outcome of stats on armor, with Artisan and Master Armor using more materials, each increasing the total. Protection values are the same for basic/artisan/master when it comes to quality. There are currently only basic weapons.

Having decent protection and a good weapon makes the job easier, but learning the "dance" to hit and not get hit is paramount, and even then you'd want to figure out just how tough game you can handle yourself. Once your health drops to a point where you risk getting killed, you bring the animal to walk mode so you can stand still and regenerate however long it takes.