Path of Exile Item Upgrades
The performance of a variety of Path of Exile items can be improved by upgrading their performance. They can provide extra damage, AD or even affixes.
In most cases, however, upgraded Common and Magic gear is beaten out by Rare-grade gear due to their higher requirements.
Armor
Armor upgrades are a form of upgrade that can be applied to weapon and armor items. They improve the effectiveness of the item they are connected to. Armor upgrades are found in the game's world and can be purchased from Blacksmiths at any bonfire. Alternatively, they can also be rescued from items with upgrade components in them using a specialist or more powerful salvage kit.
The amount of damage that an armored piece or weapon can absorb depends on the level of its upgrades. The damage absorption of an armor piece will increase when it's 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 types of armor upgrades available in the game, and each one has distinct effects. For instance, certain upgrades will grant the armor a certain number of health points while others make it lighter and stronger. The type of armor upgrade that an item will receive is indicated by the name of the upgrade, as indicated in the table below.
Some of the upgrades also require magic or a combination of technology and magic, which are identified by the "Magic" and "Hybrids" entries in the table below. Furthermore, some upgrades require charges to use, which are shown by a "Charges" entry in the table below. The charges for these upgrades are updated daily or never expire dependent on the upgrade.
The cheapest method to upgrade armor is by using Iron Ore, which can be found by exploring the area and looting small loot chests. Titanium is more expensive however it is obtainable through smelters in Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Certain upgrades, like the Reforge and the Hot Potato Books, can only be applied to high-level armor pieces. These upgrades can provide significant improvements in performance and are worth the investment, especially for 1-handed weapons.
The process of upgrading an armor piece to its maximum upgrade level will significantly increase its defense values but the wearer must be aware that putting more weight on it can drastically decrease its speed and agility. It is not recommended to upgrade armor beyond +9. upgrade item in defense 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 instance an upgrade could increase the damage dealt by a shotgun's shells or the accuracy of a sniper rifle. Some weapons have special upgrades that enhance their inherent characteristics. They include Frictionless Materials (improves stability and minimizes weapon overheating) and Kinetic Coils (increases the speed of projectiles to cause more damage).
Most upgrades for weapons require one of three Power Dices, a different amount of Minerals and Erons, and a whetblade for applying. They can be obtained by completing side quests or killing a certain amount of monsters and bosses.
The process of 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 set number of Bars. The more bars required to complete an upgrade, the higher the level. The cost of upgrades will be lower if have more than one of the relevant upgrade materials.
In Chapter 2: Season 5 the way you upgrade your weapon and sets has changed. Prior to Chapter 2 Season 5 you could upgrade your weapon or equipment by paying a certain amount of Bars. You could do this until you reach a maximum upgrade level for your weapon or equipment, after which the upgrades would be reset.
It's still possible, but it is dependent heavily on RNG. Instead, you're better off visiting stores and buying gear with low upgrade levels, but excellent base scores and stat distributions. These gears have a greater chance of granting you the most prestigious tier of benefits and blessings.
Most players will want to prioritize weapon upgrades for the weapons they use most frequently to allow them to progress quicker. item upgrade should also upgrade the weapons that their teammates use to boost their strength. For instance, Shepard should consider upgrading the M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R to increase its utility when paired with biotech specialists such as Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels can be used to boost the stats of a character or to provide additional effects on 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 level of the gemstone, the better the secondary effect. These reagents can be found around the world through Treasure Goblins, World Bosses and sometimes by salvaging Legendary equipment. You can also purchase them from The Jeweler in exchange for Scattered Prisms and gold.
The Jeweler can improve the quality of a gem in stages ranging from Crude up to Royal. Based on the level of the gem it will give different stat boosts when inserted into weapons, equipment and jewelry.
All levels of jewels are crafted at the Jeweler however, there are some exceptions to this, such as the rare and legendary jewels that require you to be at a certain level to obtain these. Jewels can be replaced with another one without damaging the original. However you can only swap out one jewel in an equipment piece only once.
The use of more jewels in a movement will make it feel smoother and is usually performed to enhance the aesthetics of the movement. In addition to enhancing performance, the jewels create an outer layer that is more durable than steel, so the repeated friction from pivots won't cause damage as easily.
In addition to the above upgrades players can also acquire glyphs for their weapons and shields from a Glyphmaster. These glyphs give a slight boost and can be freely traded, but they are not guaranteed to be available as loot. Glyphs can be upgraded like jewelry, at the Jeweler for gold, and also Scattered Crystal. Glyphs can also be taken out and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components, such as aegis or traits cannot be exchanged and can only be recovered with an Upgrade extractor, or salvaging with the Black Lion Salvage Kit or an Ascended Salvage.
Trinkets
Trinkets are items of equipment that offer many tiny but valuable advantages to your hero. They are available in the start-up area as loot or personal story rewards. They can also be obtained from vendors as well as through the completion of road interactions. They can also be crafted by jewelers, and found or purchased at the Trading Post.
The first trinket players will be able to unlock is the cloak. It gives a small but beneficial boost in movement speed and evasion. Then, they can purchase amulets, rings and necklaces in the same way to how a player can acquire armor and weapons. Each piece of equipment has an upgrade slot that can be either universal or jewel. Universal upgrades are smaller and are able to be used on any device. Jewels cannot be upgraded or replaced and are only compatible with certain trinkets.
These trinkets also provide additional bonuses and abilities that are active even when the character is not in combat. This allows the hero to become more efficient even when not in combat. It can also make up for the absence of good team or talent tree slots which are usually filled by the hero's optimal 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 items with desirable stats that aren't as significant as the iLevel for the item to be upgraded. This is especially true if you're looking to upgrade several stats on an item. It's more beneficial to upgrade a single important stat instead of two subpar ones.
At the beginning of the game players in the jungle are likely to upgrade their yellow trinket into a red one, while top and mid players will usually opt for the pink or green ward (depending on the matchup). These choices will have a major impact on the hero's map control abilities.
Apart from the items listed above, players may also find a number of other trinkets throughout the game in the form of awards and trophies. These can be obtained by completing certain milestones within the story. For instance, finishing a chapter’s main quest or beating an opponent. These can be viewed by selecting the appropriate achievement from the reward tab of the hero menu.