Path of Exile item upgrade Upgrades
Item upgrades are a common and important way to improve the performance of many items in Path of Exile. They can provide extra damage, AD or even affixes.
Rare-grade equipment is often superior to modernized Common or Magic equipment 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 are available in the world of the game and can be purchased from Blacksmiths at any bonfire. Alternately, they can be salvaged from items with upgrade components inside them, with a professional or higher salvage kit.
The amount of damage that an armored piece or weapon can absorb depends on the extent of its upgrades. The damage absorption of an item upgrade (special info) of armor will increase when it is upgraded to the maximum upgrade level. However, it's important to keep in mind that this will increase its weight, causing it to weigh more than before.
There are several types of armor upgrades available in the game, and each one has distinct effects. Certain upgrades give armor an additional amount of health points while others make it more powerful and lighter. The name of the armor upgrade will indicate the kind of upgrade that an item upgrader kit will receive, as shown below.
Some of the upgrades also require magic or a combination of technology and magic, which is indicated by the "Magic" and "Hybrids" entries in the table below. Certain upgrades require charges in order to be used. These are identified as "Charges" entries in the table. These charges are either continuously updated or never expire depending on the upgrade.
The cheapest way to upgrade armor is to use Iron Ore, which can be found by exploring the area and looting small 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 higher level armor pieces. These upgrades can give significant improvement in stats and are a worthwhile cost, especially for single-handed weapons.
The process of upgrading an armor piece to the highest upgrade level will dramatically increase its defense capabilities however, the user must be aware that increasing its weight will dramatically reduce its speed and agility. For this reason, it is typically not recommended to upgrade armor pieces beyond +9, since the added defense is generally not worth the extra weight and power costs of the improvements required.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades give players to enhance certain aspects of their weapon. For instance an upgrade can enhance the damage caused by a shotgun's shells or the accuracy of a rifle sniper. Certain weapons also come with upgrades that improve their innate characteristics. Frictionless materials (improves stability, and reduces the possibility of overheating), and Kinetic coils (increases the projectile's speed for greater damage) are two examples.
Most weapon upgrades require three Power Dices, a different amount of Minerals and Erons and a whetblade for applying. They can be obtained by finishing side quests, killing a certain amount of monsters or bosses or by contacting the Weapon Upgrade NPC located in Central Flarine.
To upgrade a weapon, equipment set piece, or Whetblade, you must visit the NPC [ArmorBoboko. Boboko located in Central Flarine, and pay her an upgrade fee of a specific amount of bars. The higher the upgrade level, the higher the number of bars you will need to complete the upgrade. If you have multiple upgrade materials, the cost of upgrading will be lower.
In Chapter 2: Season 5, the way you upgrade your weapon and equipment sets changed a little. Before you could search for an Upgrade Bench and pay for a specific amount of Bars to upgrade your weapon or equipment to an increased level of rarity. You could do this until your weapon or equipment reached its maximum upgrade level and at that point, the upgrades would be reset.
You can still do this, however, the process is high on RNG and low on agency. You should consider buying equipment with minimal upgrade levels and high base scores and stat distributions. They will also have a chance at gaining you the best tier of benefits and blessings.
Most players will want to prioritize upgrades to the weapons they are most likely to use to help them level up quicker. Players should also upgrade the weapons their squadmates utilize to increase their power. For instance, Shepard should consider upgrading the M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R, which will enhance its effectiveness when paired with biotech specialists such as Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels are used in the sockets of armor and weapons, increasing the stats of a weapon and providing additional effects. They can be created through the process of jewelry crafting, where you combine a gem with several chemicals at a table. The higher the grade of the jewel the better the secondary effect. These reagents can be obtained from Treasure Goblins and World Bosses in the world, or through salvaging Legendary Gear. You can also purchase them from The Jeweler in exchange for gold and Scattered Prisms.
The quality of a jewel can be improved by the Jeweler, with stages that vary from Crude to Royal. The stat boosts will vary depending on the tier the jewel is at when it's inserted into weapons, jewelry, or other gear.
The Jeweler can create the highest levels of gems with the exception of rare and legendary ones, which you must attain an appropriate level to obtain. Unlike other upgrade components, jewels can be swapped out with another identical jewel without damaging it. However it is only possible to replace the jewels in a piece of equipment only once.
Using more jewels in the movement can make it feel more comfortable, and is often done for aesthetic reasons. In addition to improving performance, the jewels also create an outer layer that is more durable than metal, so repeated friction from pivots doesn't cause harm as easily.
In addition to the above upgrades additionally, players can get glyphs for their shields and weapons from a Glyphmaster. These glyphs offer a small boost in power and can be traded, but they are not guaranteed to show up as loot. Glyphs are like jewelry and can be upgraded by the Jeweler in exchange for gold and Scattered Crystals. Glyphs are also removed and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components such as aegis or traits cannot be exchanged, and can only be found by using an Upgrade extractor or salvaging with a Black Lion Salvage Kit or Ascended Salvage.
Trinkets
Trinkets are a great way to provide your hero with various small, but beneficial, benefits. They can be acquired starting in the areas of starting as loot, personal story rewards, from vendors, and by completing road interactions. They can be purchased from the Trading Post, or crafted by jewelers.
The first trinket a player can unlock is the cloak. It grants a small but beneficial boost in speed of movement and the ability to evade. Then, they can get amulets, rings, and necklaces in the same manner to the way a player acquires weapons and armor. Each piece of equipment has one upgrade slot that can accept either a universal or jewel upgrade. Universal upgrades are smaller and can be utilized on any device. Jewels are not upgradeable or replaced and are only compatible with certain trinkets.
These trinkets can also grant buffs and skills that are active when the hero is not in combat. This enables the hero to perform better when they are not active and also helps to compensate for the absence of a solid team or the absence of any slots in the talent tree which would normally be filled with hero's ideal stats.
As a general rule trinket upgrades should be a priority BiS (Best in Slot) items you won't replace anytime soon. Also, consider items with desirable stats that aren't as significant as the iLevel for the item to be upgraded. This is especially true when you're looking to upgrade several stats on an item. It's best to upgrade just one crucial stat than two less important ones.
Jungle players often upgrade their yellow trinkets to a red trinket at the start of the game. Mid and top players however will pick a green or a pink ward, depending on the matchup. These choices will have a significant impact on the hero's map control abilities.
Aside from the items listed above, players can also find a number of other trinkets in the game in the form of trophies and awards. They can be obtained by completing certain milestones in the story. For instance, finishing a chapter’s main quest or beating a boss. They can be viewed by selecting the appropriate achievement in the reward tab of the hero menu.