Path of Exile Item Upgrades
Upgrades to items are a frequent and essential way to boost the performance of a variety of items in Path of Exile. They can provide extra damage, AD or even affixes.
Sometimes, however upgraded Common and Magic gear is often surpassed by Rare-grade gear because of their requirements.
Armor
Armor upgrades are a kind of upgrade that can be used on weapon and armor items. They boost the stats of whatever item they are connected to. Armor upgrades are found in the world of the game and can be purchased from Blacksmiths at any bonfire. Alternatively, they can also be salvaged from items with upgrade components inside them, using an expert or greater salvage kit.
The amount of damage that an armored piece or weapon will absorb is contingent on the level of its upgrades. The upgrade of an armor piece to maximum upgrade level will increase its ability to absorb damage. However, it's important to note that this will also increase its weight, which will cause it to weigh more than it was before.
There are several different types of armor upgrades available in the game. Each has a different effect. Some upgrades give armor a greater number of health points while others make it lighter and more powerful. The type of armor upgrade that an item can get will be identified by the name of the upgrade, as shown in the table below.
Some of the upgrades also require magic or a combination of technology and magic, as shown by the "Magic" and "Hybrids" entries in the table. Some upgrades also require charges for use. These are identified as "Charges" entries in the table. The charges associated with 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 by exploring the environment and looting chests of minor loot. Titanium is more expensive, but it can be obtained through smelters in Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Certain upgrades, such as the Reforge and the Hot Potato Books, can only be applied to high-level armor pieces. These upgrades can provide a significant improvements in stats and are a worthwhile investment, especially for 1-handed weapons.
A piece of armor upgraded to the highest upgrade level will dramatically increase its defense values, but the player should be aware that putting more weight on it will drastically reduce its speed and agility. For this reason, it is not recommended to upgrade most armor pieces above +9, since the defensive boost gained is usually not worth the weight and power cost of the upgrades required.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades allow players the ability to improve certain aspects of their weapon. Upgrades can increase the accuracy of a rifle, or the damage that shotgun shells cause. Some weapons also have special upgrades that enhance their inherent qualities. Frictionless materials (improves stability, minimizes the risk of overheating) and Kinetic coils (increases the projectile's velocity to cause more damage) are two examples.
Most upgrades for weapons require three Power Dices, a different amount of Minerals and Erons and a whetblade for applying. These can be gained by completing Side Quests or by killing a certain amount of bosses and monsters.
To upgrade a weapon, equipment set piece or Whetblade, you must visit the NPC [Armor] Boboko located in Central Flarine, and pay her an upgrade fee of a certain amount of Bars. The more bars required to complete an upgrade, the more expensive the upgrade. 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 equipment sets was a bit different. Prior to Chapter 2: Season 5 you could upgrade your weapon or equipment by paying a specific amount of Bars. You could do this until you reach a maximum upgrade level for your equipment or weapon, after which the upgrades would be reset.
This is still possible, but it depends heavily on RNG. You should consider buying equipment with low levels of upgrade and high base scores and stat distributions. These items have a better chance of granting you the highest tier blessings and perks.
The majority of players will prioritize upgrades to the weapons they most often use to allow them to progress faster. Players should also upgrade the weapons their teammates utilize to increase their power. Shepard for instance, should upgrade the M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R. This will make the weapon more useful when used in conjunction by biotic specialists like Grunt and Tali.
item upgrade are placed in the armor's sockets and weapons, increasing the stats of a weapon and providing additional effects. They can be created through an process known as jewelry crafting, where you combine a gemstone and several ingredients at a table for jewelry. The higher the grade of the gemstone, the better the secondary effect. These reagents are available from Treasure Goblins and World Bosses in the world, or by collecting Legendary Gear. You can also purchase them from The Jeweler in exchange for gold and Scattered Prisms.
The Jeweler can improve the quality of the gem in stages that range from Crude up to Royal. Based on the tier of the jewel it will give different stat boosts when inserted into weapons, equipment and jewelry.
All tiers of jewels are crafted at the Jeweler and Jeweler's Workshop, with the exception of the rare and legendary gems that require you to be at a sufficient level to obtain these. Jewels can be replaced by another jewel without destroying the original. You can only replace the jewel once within an item of equipment.
The use of more jewels in a movement can make it feel more comfortable, and is often used to enhance the aesthetics of the movement. The jewels can also enhance performance and create an outer layer that is more durable than steel so that repeated friction caused by pivots does not cause damage to them.
In addition to the above upgrades additionally, players can acquire glyphs for their shields and weapons from a Glyphmaster. They offer a small benefit and are able to be swapped easily but aren't guaranteed to drop as loot. Glyphs, just like jewelry, can be upgraded at the Jeweler in exchange for gold and Scattered Crystals. Glyphs are also removed, which returns them to the inventory. Other upgrade components like traits or aegis can't be exchanged, and can only be recovered with an Upgrade extractor or salvaging using Black Lion Salvage Kit or Ascended Salvage tool.
Trinkets
Trinkets can be used to provide your hero with many small, but beneficial advantages. They can be acquired starting in the areas of starting as loot or personal story rewards from vendors, and through doing road interactions. They can be purchased from the Trading Post, or crafted by jewelers.
The first trinket a player is able to unlock is the cloak, which gives a small but useful bonus to speed of movement and the ability to escape. The player can then collect rings, amulets and necklaces in a similar fashion similar to how they obtained weapons and armor. Each piece of equipment comes with a slot for an upgrade that is either universal or jewel. Universal upgrades are smaller and are able to be used on any piece of equipment. Jewels cannot be upgraded or replaced and only work with certain trinkets.
These trinkets also grant additional buffs and skills that remain active even when the character is not fighting. This lets the hero perform better when they are not active, and can also help make up for a lack of a solid team or any slots from the talent tree that normally are filled with the hero's ideal statistics.
A good rule of thumb for trinket upgrades is to prioritize BiS (Best-in-Slot) items that you will not replace soon, followed by any items with desirable stats, but less important than the iLevel of the item that is being upgraded. This is especially true when you're looking to upgrade several stats on an item. item upgrade is better to upgrade one important stat than two less important ones.
At the beginning of the game players who are in the jungle will typically want to upgrade their yellow trinket to a red in the middle and top players will usually opt for a green or pink ward (depending on the game's matchup). These choices will have a significant impact on the hero's map control abilities.
In addition to the items mentioned above, players will find other trinkets that form of rewards and trophies throughout the game. These can be obtained by completing certain milestones in the story, for instance completing a chapter's main quest or killing a particular boss. You can see them by clicking on the achievement in the reward section of the hero's menu.