Path of Exile Item Upgrades
Item upgrades are a common and essential way to boost the performance of many items in Path of Exile. They can also provide additional damage, AD or even affixes.
Rare-grade equipment is usually superior to modernized Common or Magic equipment due to their high demands.
Armor
Armor upgrades are a type of upgrade that can be used on weapon and armor items. They boost the performance of the item that they're connected to. Armor upgrades can be found in the world of the game and can be purchased from Blacksmiths at any bonfire. They can also be salvaged by using an expert 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. A piece of armor upgraded to its highest upgrade level will boost its damage absorption. It is important to note that this will increase the weight of the armor, so it should be heavier.
There are several different types of armor upgrade available in the game. Each one has a distinct impact. Some upgrades give armor an extra number of health points, while others make it lighter and more powerful. The kind of armor upgrade an item can get will be identified by the name of the upgrade, as illustrated in the table below.
Certain upgrades require magic or a hybrid technology and magic, which is shown by the "Magic" and "Hybrids" entries in the table. Additionally, some upgrades require a fee to use, which is identified by an "Charges" entry in the table below. The charges associated with these upgrades change daily or never expire, according to the upgrade.
The cheapest method of upgrading armor is to use Iron Ore, which can be obtained by exploring the area and looting small loot chests. Titanium is more expensive, but it can be obtained from the smelters in Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Some upgrades, like the Reforge or the Hot Potato Books can only be applied on high-level armor pieces. These upgrades can provide a significant improvement in performance and are worth the investment, especially for 1-handed weapons.
A piece of armor upgraded to the highest upgrade level will significantly increase its defense values however, the user must be aware that putting more weight on it will drastically reduce its speed and agility. It is not recommended to upgrade armor beyond +9. The defensive boost gained usually isn't worth the weight and power costs of the upgrades.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades let players increase the effectiveness of specific aspects of the weapon. For example, an upgrade may enhance the damage caused by the shells of a shotgun or the accuracy of the sniper rifle. Some weapons have special upgrades that enhance their inherent characteristics. Frictionless materials (improves stability, minimizes the possibility of overheating), and Kinetic coils (increases the projectile's velocity for greater damage) are two examples.
The majority of upgrades for weapons require a whetblade, one of three Power Dices and a different amount of Minerals and Erons. These are obtained through either finishing side quests, killing a certain number of bosses or monsters, or through the Weapon Upgrade NPC located in Central Flarine.
Upgrading 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 amount of Bars. You could do this until you reached a maximum upgrade level for your weapon or equipment, after which upgrades would reset.
It's possible, but it relies heavily on RNG. You should consider buying equipment with low levels of upgrade and high base scores and stat distributions. These items have a higher likelihood of granting you highest level of benefits and blessings.
The majority of players will prioritize weapon upgrades for the weapons they use most frequently to make sure they are able to level up faster. Additionally players, they should also consider upgrading the weapons favored by their squadmates to make them more powerful as well. For instance, Shepard should consider upgrading the M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R, which will increase its utility when accompanied by biotech specialists such as Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels can be used to increase the stats of a character or to provide additional effects in armor and weapons. They can be created using an process known as jewelry crafting, where you combine a gem with several chemicals at a table. The higher the tier of the gemstone has, the more powerful its secondary effect. These reagents are obtained in the world through Treasure Goblins, World Bosses and occasionally by salvaging Legendary equipment. You can also purchase them from The Jeweler for gold and a Scattered Prism.
The quality of a diamond can be improved by the Jeweler in stages that range from Crude to Royal. Based on the tier of the jewel it can provide different stat boosts when inserted into weapons, gear and jewelry.
All tiers of jewels can be made at the Jeweler however, there are some exceptions to this, such as the rare and legendary jewels that require you to be at a high enough level to be able to get them. Unlike other upgrade components, jewels are able to be swapped by a different identical jewel without destroying it. You are able to replace the jewel once in an item of equipment.
It is normal to use more jewelry for aesthetic reasons. Apart from improving performance, the diamonds create an area that is stronger than metal, which means that repeated friction from pivots doesn't cause harm as easily.
A Glyphmaster can provide glyphs that can enhance the appearance of your shields and weapons. These provide a small bonus and can be swapped out at any time but aren't guaranteed to drop as loot. Glyphs, like jewelry, can be upgraded at the Jeweler to exchange Scattered Crystals and gold. Glyphs can also be removed and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components, like traits and aegis are not swappable, and can only be retrieved using an Upgrade Extractor or salvaging them using a Black Lion Salvage Kit or an Ascended Salvage Tool.
Trinkets
Trinkets can provide your hero with a variety of small, but beneficial benefits. You can find them in the start-up area as rewards for personal stories or loot. They are also available from vendors as well as through doing road interaction. They can also be made by jewelers, and then found or purchased from the Trading Post.
The first trinket a player will unlock is the cloak. It gives a small but valuable boost in speed of movement and evasion. After that, they'll be able to acquire rings, amulets, and necklaces in the same fashion to how the player acquires armor and weapons. Each piece of equipment comes with one upgrade slot that can accept either a universal or a jewel upgrade. Universal upgrades provide smaller bonuses and can be placed in any type of equipment while jewelry cannot be changed or upgraded, and is only compatible with specific types of trinkets.
These trinkets provide additional buffs and abilities that are active even when the hero isn't engaged in combat. This allows the hero to become more efficient even when not in combat. It can also compensate for the lack of a good slot in the talent tree or team which would normally be filled by a hero's top stats.
As a general rule trinket upgrades should be prioritized over BiS (Best in Slot) items that you will not replace anytime soon. Also, consider upgrade item with desirable stats that aren't as significant as the iLevel for the item to be upgraded. This is especially true if you want to upgrade multiple statistics on an item. It is better to upgrade one important stat than two less important ones.
Jungle players often upgrade their yellow trinket to a red one prior to the start of the game. Top and mid players, on the other hand they will select a green or a pink ward, based on the matchup. These choices will have a major impact on the hero's map control abilities.
In addition to the items listed above, players can also find other trinkets in the form trophies and rewards throughout the game. These can be earned by completing certain milestones within the story. For instance, finishing the main quest of a chapter or defeating the boss. You can see them by selecting the achievement in the reward section of the hero's menu.