Path of Exile Item Upgrades
Upgrades to items are a common and crucial method to enhance the performance of a variety of items in Path of Exile. They can be a fantastic source of damage and more AD or even more attachments.
Often times however, upgraded Common and Magic gear is outclassed by Rare-grade equipment due to their high requirements.
Armor
Armor upgrades are a kind of upgrade that can be used on armor and weapon items. They improve the stats of the item they are connected to. Armor upgrades can be found in the world of the game and purchased from Blacksmiths on bonfires. They can also be salvaged by using an expert or higher salvage kits to retrieve upgrade components from items.
The level of an armor's or weapon's upgrade determines the amount of damage it will absorb. The ability to absorb damage of a piece armor will increase as it is upgraded to the highest upgrade level. However, it's important to keep in mind that this will increase its weight, causing it to be heavier than it was before.
There are several different types of armor upgrades that are available in the game. Each has a different effect. Certain upgrades grant armor an extra number of health points while others make it more powerful and lighter. The type of armor upgrade that an item can receive will be identified by the name of the upgrade as shown in the table below.
Some of the upgrades also require magic or a hybrid technology and magic, as indicated by the "Magic" and "Hybrids" entries in the table. Certain upgrades require charges to use. These are identified as "Charges" entries in the table. These charges are either constantly updated or never expire depending on the upgrade.
The cheapest method to upgrade armor is by using Iron Ore, which can be gathered by exploring the area and looting chests of minor loot. Titanium is more expensive however it is obtainable through smelters in Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Certain upgrades, like the Reforge or the Hot Potato Books can only be applied on armor pieces that are of high-level. These upgrades can provide a significant improvements in stats and are a worthwhile cost, especially for single-handed weapons.
The player should be aware, however, that upgrading a piece to its maximum upgrade level will increase its defense values. However, it can also reduce its agility and its speed. It is not recommended to upgrade armor past +9. The boost in defense usually isn't worth the weight and power costs of the upgrades.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades allow players to improve the effectiveness of specific aspects of an weapon. For instance an upgrade could increase the damage dealt by a shotgun's shells or the accuracy of the rifle sniper. Certain weapons come with special upgrades that enhance their inherent qualities. Frictionless materials (improves stability, reduces the risk of the possibility of overheating) and Kinetic coils (increases the projectile's velocity 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. These can be obtained by completing Side Quests, taking out a certain number of monsters or bosses, or through the Weapon Upgrade NPC 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 price of a certain number of Bars. The more bars you need to complete an upgrade, the more advanced the level. 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 sets has changed. In the past you could search for an Upgrade Bench and pay a set number of Bars to upgrade your weapon or equipment to a higher quality. You could continue to do this until you reach a maximum upgrade level for the equipment or weapon, after which the upgrades would reset.
This is still possible, but it depends heavily on RNG. Instead, you're better off visiting stores and buying equipment with low upgrade levels but excellent base scores and stat distributions. These items have a higher chance of granting you the most prestigious tier of advantages and benefits.
To level up faster, many players prioritize upgrading their weapons. Players should also upgrade the weapons their squadmates utilize to increase their power. Shepard, for example should upgrade his M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R. This will make the weapon more useful when used by biotic specialists like Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels can be used to boost the stats of a character or to provide additional effects in weapons and armor. Jewelry crafting is a method of making them, in which you combine gemstones with specific reagents on a jewelry table. The higher the quality of the gem, the greater the secondary effect. These reagents are obtained in the world through Treasure Goblins, World Bosses and sometimes by salvaging 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 at the Jeweler, with stages that range from Crude to Royal. Based on the level of the jewel it can provide different stat boost when slotted into weapons, gear and jewelry.
The Jeweler can craft all tiers of gems, except for the rare and legendary ones, which require certain levels to gain. Unlike other upgrade components, jewels can be swapped out with a identical jewel without damaging it. However, you can only replace one jewel in an item of equipment only once.
It is normal to use more gems to enhance the appearance of. The jewels also improve performance and make a harder surface than steel, so that the repeated friction from pivots does not cause damage to the movement.
A Glyphmaster can offer glyphs to improve the appearance of your weapons and shields. These glyphs give a slight boost and can be swapped, but they are not guaranteed to be available as loot. Glyphs can be upgraded as jewelry, by visiting the Jeweler for gold, and also a scattered Crystal. Glyphs can also be removed and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components such as traits or aegis cannot be swapped, and can only be retrieved with an Upgrade extractor, or salvaging with the Black Lion Salvage Kit or Ascended Salvage.
Trinkets
Trinkets are small pieces of equipment that offer a wide range of small, but beneficial benefits to your hero. They can be obtained in the beginning areas as loot, personal story rewards, from vendors, and by performing road interactions. They may also be crafted by jewelers, and found or purchased at the Trading Post.
upgrade item that a player is able to unlock is the cloak. It grants a small, but valuable boost in speed of movement and evasion. After that, they'll be able to get amulets, rings, and necklaces in a similar manner to the way a player can acquire armor and weapons. Each piece of equipment has a slot for an upgrade that is either universal or jewel. Universal upgrades are smaller and are able to be used on any equipment. Jewels are not upgradeable or replaced, and can only be used with certain trinkets.
These trinkets provide additional buffs and abilities that are active even when the hero isn't in combat. This lets a hero become more efficient even when not in combat. It also helps compensate for the absence of strong slots in the team or talent tree that are normally filled by a hero's top stats.
As a rule trinket upgrades should be prioritized over BiS (Best in Slot) items that you aren't likely to replace anytime soon. Then, you should consider any items that have desirable statistics aren't as important as the iLevel of the item that is to be upgraded. This is particularly true if an item has multiple stats you'd like to upgrade since it's generally more beneficial to upgrade one crucial stat than two subpar ones.
Jungle players often upgrade their yellow trinket to a red one at the beginning of the game. Mid and top players on the other hand they will select either a pink or green ward, based on the matchup. These choices will have an impact on the hero's ability to manage the map.
In addition to the items listed above, players will also find other trinkets that form of trophies and rewards throughout the game. These can be obtained by completing certain milestones within the story. For instance, finishing the main quest for a chapter or beating a boss. You can see them by selecting the achievement from the reward section of the hero's menu.