Path of Exile Item Upgrades
Item upgrades are a common and important way to improve the performance of many items in Path of Exile. They can cause additional damage, AD or even affixes.
Rare-grade equipment can be superior to the more modernized Common or Magic gear due to their higher requirements.
Armor
Armor upgrades can be applied to both armor and weapon items. They increase the effectiveness of the item they are attached to. Upgrades to armor can be found in the world of the game and can be purchased from Blacksmiths at bonfires. They can also be salvaged by using a professional or higher salvage kits to recover upgrades from the items.
The level of an armor's or weapon's upgrade determines the amount of damage it will absorb. The absorption of damage by a piece armor will increase when it's upgraded to its maximum upgrade level. But, it's important to keep in mind that this will increase its weight, causing it to weigh more than before.
There are several different types of armor upgrades that are available in the game. Each one has a distinct impact. For item upgrades , some upgrades give the armor a certain amount of additional health points, while others will make it stronger and lighter. The name of the upgrade will indicate the type of upgrade the item can receive, as shown below.
Some upgrades are magic or a hybrid of magic and technology, which is shown by a "Magic" or "Hybrid" entry in the table below. Furthermore, some upgrades require charges to use, which are shown by an "Charges" entry in the table below. The charges for these upgrades change daily or never expire dependent on the upgrade.
The cheapest method to upgrade armor is by using Iron Ore, which can be obtained through exploring the surroundings and looting minor loot chests. Titanium is more costly, but is readily available at the smelters in Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Certain upgrades, like the Reforge and the Hot Potato Books, can only be applied to high-level armor pieces. These upgrades can provide significant improvements in stats and are worth the cost.
The player must be aware that upgrading a piece to the maximum upgrade level will increase its defense values. However, it will also affect its agility and its speed. For this reason, it is not recommended to upgrade armor pieces that are higher than +9 since the defensive boost gained is typically not worth the additional weight and power costs of the upgrades needed.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades allow players to enhance certain aspects of their weapon. Upgrades can increase the accuracy of a rifle or the damage that shotgun shells do. Some weapons also have special upgrades that improve their innate qualities. Frictionless materials (improves stability, and reduces the risk of overheating) and Kinetic coils (increases the projectile's acceleration to cause more damage) are two examples.
Most weapon upgrades require three Power Dices, a different amount of Minerals and Erons and a whetblade. They can be obtained by finishing side quests, killing a certain amount of monsters or bosses, or from the Weapon Upgrade NPC in Central Flarine.
Upgrades to a weapon, equipment Set piece, or Whetblade requires visiting the NPC [Armor] Boboko in Central Flarine and paying her an upgrade fee that is based on a specific number of Bars. The higher the upgrade level, the higher the number of bars are required to complete it. If you have multiple upgrade materials The cost of upgrading will be less.
In Chapter 2: Season 5 the way you upgrade your weapon and sets has changed a bit. Prior to Chapter 2: Season 5, you could upgrade your weapon or equipment by paying a specific number of Bars. You could do this until the weapon or equipment reached its maximum upgrade level at which point the upgrades would be reset.
It's possible, but it depends heavily on RNG. Instead, you're much better off visiting stores and buying gear with low upgrade levels, but good base scores and stat distributions. These will have a chance at gaining you the highest tier benefits and blessings.
To level up faster, most players will be more inclined to upgrade their weapons. Additionally, players should consider upgrading the weapons they use with their squadmates to make them more powerful and effective. For instance, Shepard should consider upgrading the M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R, which will increase its utility when paired with biotic specialists like Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels can be used to improve the stats of a character or to provide additional effects in armor and weapons. They can be made through a process called jewelry crafting, where you combine a gem and several reagents at a jewelry table. The higher the level of the jewel is, the greater its secondary effect. These reagents are available from Treasure Goblins and World Bosses all over the world, or by collecting Legendary Gear. You can also purchase them from The Jeweler in exchange for gold and Scattered Prisms.
The quality of a diamond can be improved at the Jeweler, in stages that range from Crude to Royal. The stat boosts can vary depending on the tier the jewel is in when it's slotted into jewelry, weapons, or equipment.
The Jeweler can create all tiers of gems, with the exception of rare and legendary ones that you must be at an appropriate level to obtain. Like other upgrade components jewels are able to be swapped by a different identical jewel without destroying it. However it is only possible to replace one jewel in an item of equipment once.
It is normal to use more gems for aesthetic reasons. Jewels also enhance performance and create an outer layer that is more durable than metal so that repeated friction from pivots does not cause damage to them.
A Glyphmaster can provide glyphs to enhance the appearance of your shields and weapons. These glyphs offer a small boost and can be traded, but they're not guaranteed to show up as loot. Glyphs can be upgraded, like jewelry, at the Jeweler for gold and a scattered Crystal. Glyphs can also be removed and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components, such as traits and aegis aren't swappable and can only be recovered using an Upgrade Extractor or salvaging them with the Black Lion Salvage Kit or an Ascended Salvage Tool.
Trinkets
Trinkets can give your character many small, but beneficial, benefits. They are available in the starter area as rewards for personal stories or loot. They are also available from vendors as well as through completing road interaction. They may also be crafted by jewelers, and then found or purchased on the Trading Post.
The first trinket a player is able to unlock is the cloak, which gives an unimportant but beneficial boost to movement speed and the ability to escape. After that, they'll be able to purchase amulets, rings and necklaces in a similar manner to the way a player acquires weapons and armor. Every piece of equipment has an upgrade slot that is either universal or jewel. Universal upgrades offer fewer benefits and can be placed in any kind of equipment while jewelry cannot be replaced or upgraded, and is only compatible with certain types of trinkets.
These trinkets also grant additional bonuses and abilities that are active when the hero is not in combat. This allows the hero to be more effective when not active, and can also help fill in the void of a strong team or any slots in the talent tree that would normally be filled with the hero's best statistics.
In general trinket upgrades should be a priority BiS (Best in Slot) items you won't replace in the near future. Then, you should consider any items with desirable stats that aren't as important as the iLevel of the item that is to be upgraded. This is especially true if you're looking to upgrade several stats on an item. It is more beneficial to upgrade a single important stat than two less important ones.
Jungle players often upgrade their yellow trinkets to a red one prior to the start of the game. Top and mid players however, will choose a green or a pink ward, based on the game's matchup. These choices can impact the ability of a hero to control the map.
In addition to the items listed above, players will find other trinkets in the form of rewards and trophies throughout the game. These can be obtained by completing certain milestones in the story. For example, completing the main quest of a chapter or beating an opponent. They can be viewed by selecting the relevant achievement in the reward tab of the hero menu.