Path of Exile Item Upgrades
Upgrades to items are a frequent and essential way to boost the performance of numerous items in Path of Exile. They can cause additional damage, AD or even affixes.
Rare-grade equipment is usually superior to the more modernized Common or Magic gear because of their high requirements.
Armor
Armor upgrades can be applied to both weapon and armor items. They increase the effectiveness of the item that they are attached to. Armor upgrades are available in the world of games and are available from Blacksmiths on bonfires. Additionally, they can be salvaged from items that have upgrade components inside them, using an expert or greater salvage kit.
The level of an armor's or weapon's upgrade determines the amount of damage it will take on. The damage absorption of an item of armor will increase when it's upgraded to the maximum upgrade level. However, it's important to note that this will also raise its weight, requiring it to be heavier than it was before.
There are a variety of armor upgrades available in the game. Each has a different impact. Some upgrades give armor an extra number of health points while others make it more powerful and lighter. The name of the armor upgrade will indicate the type of upgrade an item can receive, as shown below.
A few of the upgrades are also magic or a mix of technology and magic which is indicated by an "Magic" or "Hybrid" entry in the table below. Some upgrades also require charges to use. They are referred to as "Charges" entries in the table. The charges associated with these upgrades refresh daily or never expire depending on the upgrade.
The cheapest way to upgrade armor is by using Iron Ore, which can be gathered through exploring the surroundings and looting small loot chests. Titanium is more expensive however, it is available at the smelters of 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 provide a significant improvements in stats and are a worthwhile cost, especially for single-handed weapons.
The process of upgrading an armor piece to max upgrade level will significantly boost its defense, but the player should be aware that putting more weight on it will drastically reduce its agility and speed. For this reason, it is typically not recommended to upgrade armor pieces beyond +9, since the added defense is typically not worth the weight and power cost of the improvements required.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades allow players to improve the effectiveness of specific aspects of a weapon. Upgrades can increase the accuracy of a rifle, or the damage that shotgun shells do. Certain firearms have upgrades to improve their inherent characteristics. Frictionless materials (improves stability, minimizes the possibility of overheating), and Kinetic coils (increases the projectile's acceleration for greater damage) are two examples.
Most upgrades for weapons require one of three Power Dices, a different amount of Minerals and Erons and a whetblade to apply. These can be gained by completing Side Quests or killing a certain amount of bosses and monsters.
To upgrade a weapon, equipment set piece or Whetblade you need to 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 more bars required to complete it. The cost of the upgrades will be lower if you have more than one of the relevant upgrade materials.
In Chapter 2: Season 5, the method of upgrading your weapon and equipment sets changed a little. Prior to Chapter 2 Season 5 you could upgrade your weapon and equipment by paying a specific number of Bars. upgrade item could do this until you reached the maximum upgrade level for your equipment or weapon, following which the upgrades would reset.
It's possible, but it depends heavily on RNG. Instead, you're better off going to the stores and purchasing equipment that has low upgrade levels but good base scores and stat distributions. They will also be able to give you the best tier of bonuses and blessings.
To increase their level faster, many players prioritise upgrading their weapons. Players should also upgrade the weapons their squadmates use to boost their strength. Shepard for instance should upgrade his M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R. This will increase the effectiveness of the weapon when used in conjunction with biotic specialists like Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels are utilized in the armor's sockets and weapons, increasing a stat and providing secondary effects. They can be created using an process known as jewelry crafting, where you combine a gemstone and a number of specific ingredients at a table for jewelry. The higher the grade of the jewel, the better its secondary effect. These reagents can be gotten from Treasure Goblins and World Bosses all over the world, or through finding Legendary Gear. You can also buy them from The Jeweler in exchange for gold and Scattered Prisms.
The quality of a gem can be improved upon by the Jeweler, with stages that range from Crude to Royal. Based on the tier of the jewel it will give different stat boost when slotted into weapons, gear and jewelry.
The Jeweler can craft all kinds of gems, apart from the rare and legendary ones which require an appropriate level to obtain. Like other upgrade components jewels can be swapped out with another identical jewel without damaging it. However you can only swap out one jewel in a piece of equipment only once.
upgrade item is common to use more gems to enhance the appearance of. The jewels can also enhance performance and create an outer layer that is more durable than metal so that repeated friction caused by pivots does not damage them.
In addition to the upgrades mentioned above players can also get glyphs for their weapons and shields from a Glyphmaster. They offer a small benefit and can be swapped out at any time, but are not guaranteed to drop as loot. Glyphs, like jewelry, can be upgraded by the Jeweler to exchange gold and Scattered Crystals. Glyphs may also be removed and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components, such as traits and aegis, cannot be swapped out, and can only be recovered using an Upgrade Extractor or salvaging them using the Black Lion Salvage Kit or an Ascended Salvage Tool.
Trinkets
Trinkets are small pieces of equipment that offer an array of tiny but valuable benefits to your hero. They can be obtained in the starter areas as loot, personal story rewards, from vendors, or by performing road interactions. They can be purchased from the Trading Post, or crafted by jewelers.
The first trinket that a player will be able to unlock is the cloak. It grants a small but valuable boost in movement speed and the ability to evade. After that, they'll be able to acquire rings, amulets, and necklaces in a similar fashion to how the player obtains armor and weapons. Each piece of gear comes with one upgrade slot that accepts either a universal upgrade or a jewel upgrade. Universal upgrades offer smaller bonuses and can be put into any type of equipment while jewelry cannot be changed or upgraded, and is only compatible with certain types of trinkets.
These trinkets grant additional buffs and abilities that are active when the hero isn't engaged in combat. This lets a hero become more efficient even when not in combat. It also helps compensate for the absence of excellent team or talent tree slots which would normally be filled by a hero's top stats.
As a rule, trinket upgrades should prioritize BiS (Best in Slot) items you won't replace anytime soon. Next, any items with desirable statistics that aren't as significant as the iLevel of the item to be upgraded. This is especially true when you want to upgrade multiple statistics on an item. It is better to upgrade one important stat than two less important ones.
Jungle players will often upgrade their yellow trinkets to a red one at the beginning of the game. Top and mid players however they will select a green or a pink ward, based on the matchup. These choices can impact the ability of a hero to control the map.
In addition to the items listed above, players can also find other trinkets that form trophies and rewards throughout the game. These can be earned through completing certain milestones in the story, like finishing a chapter's main quest or killing a certain boss. You can view them by selecting the achievement from the reward section of the hero's menu.