system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Infinity War] was the order in which Thanos obtained the infinity stones determined more by how difficult it was to get them, or because of their abilities?

ie, did he get the Power Stone first because it was easiest to just steal from the Nova Corps, or because he needed its powers first?
gpt
The Power Stone made Thanos essentially invincible; he was able to go against the Hulk without any trouble once he had it, and was also able to ditch his armor. That seems like it would have been a top priority for a guy like Thanos.

Running into the Space Stone was at least partially a coincidence, but it's very possible that Thanos was on his way to Asgard anyway. The Space Stone allows the now-invulnerable Thanos to instantly travel to the location of any otherStone.

The Time Stone was the next target, because it provides the biggest hax in the game. You could make a good case that the Time Stone is, in isolation, the strongest Stone of them all. Strange used it to defeat a dimension-ruling deity, after all.

They went after the Mind Stone next, probably due to its proximity to the Time Stone. Even though Cap shut that down, Thanos was still able to gather the other Stones, indicating that the Mind Stone's power wasn't essential to that quest.

The Reality Stone was in a well-known location, and Thanos hung out there because he needed Gamora to find the Soul Stone. While Thanos did use the Reality Stone's powers, it was mostly to craft illusions and fuck with his enemies. He didn't make very good use of the Reality Stone's full potential.

The Soul Stone was planned to be the last Stone he acquired, because it was the hardest to find.

The Mind Stone was the one he actually acquired last, because his first attempt to grab it failed.