@longestwaitever (if it's not on discount) going in increments like 1>2>3,,, should be cheaper so the site usually recommends that!
i think you can jump straight to v5 from any version as long as it's the same type (pro/ex) but i'm not too sure since i've been using v1 since like 2018, sorry 🙏
@bluzzzing i went from v1 directly to v5 like this morning and as far as i know everything i use regularly (brushes, assets, work layout) is the exact same!
pretty sure you can also switch versions back and forth (< have not tried this so take it with a grain of salt)