Path of Exile Item Upgrades
The performance of a variety of Path of Exile items can be improved by upgrading the performance of them. They can provide extra damage, AD or even affixes.
Rare-grade equipment is often superior to the more modernized Common or Magic gear because of their high requirements.
Armor
Armor upgrades can be applied to both armor and weapon items. They boost the performance of the item that they are connected to. Upgrades to armor are available in the game's world and can be purchased from Blacksmiths at any bonfire. Additionally, they can be salvaged from items with upgrade components in them using a specialist or more powerful salvage kit.
The level of an armor's or weapon's upgrade determines the amount of damage it can take on. The upgrade of an armor piece to maximum upgrade level will increase its ability to absorb damage. However, it's important keep in mind that this will increase its weight, causing it to weigh more than before.
There are many different kinds of armor upgrades available in the game. Each has a different impact. For instance, some upgrades give the armor a certain amount of additional health points, while others make it stronger and lighter. The name of the upgrade will indicate the kind of upgrade the item can receive, as shown 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. Additionally, some upgrades require charges to use, which is indicated by a "Charges" entry in the table below. These charges are either updated daily or never expire depending on the upgrade.
Iron Ore is the cheapest method to upgrade your armor. You can find it by exploring and looting small loot chests. Titanium is more expensive but it can be obtained 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 give players a significant improvements in stats and are definitely worth the investment.
The player should be aware, however, that upgrading a piece up to the maximum upgrade level will increase its defense values. However, it can also affect the speed and agility of the piece. This is why it is typically not recommended to upgrade armor pieces above +9, since the defensive boost gained is generally not worth the additional weight and power cost of the upgrades needed.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades allow players to enhance certain aspects of their weapon. For instance an upgrade could improve the damage that is caused by the shells of a shotgun or the accuracy of the sniper rifle. Certain weapons come with special upgrades that enhance their inherent qualities. These include Frictionless Materials (improves stability and reduces the risk of the risk of overheating) and Kinetic Coils (increases the velocity of projectiles for greater damage).
Most upgrades for weapons require three Power Dices, a different amount of Minerals and Erons, and a whetblade to apply. These are obtained through either doing side quests, or taking out a certain number of bosses or monsters, or from the Weapon Upgrade NPC located in Central Flarine.
To upgrade an equipment set, weapon piece or Whetblade you need to visit the NPC [Armor] Boboko located in Central Flarine, and pay her an upgrade fee of a certain amount of Bars. The higher the upgrade level, the higher the number of bars you will need to complete the upgrade. The cost of upgrading will be lower if have more than one of the relevant upgrade materials.
In Chapter 2: Season 5 the way you upgrade weapon and equipment sets has changed a bit. Prior to Chapter 2 Season 5, you could upgrade your weapon and equipment by paying a certain number of Bars. You could do this until you reached 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. You're better off buying gear that has minimal upgrade levels but with high base scores and stat distributions. These gears have a better chance of giving you the highest level of blessings and perks.
To increase their level faster, many players prioritise upgrading their weapons. Players should also upgrade the weapons that their squadmates utilize to increase their power. For instance, Shepard should consider upgrading the M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R, which will increase its utility when accompanied by biotic specialists like Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels can be used to improve the effectiveness of a skill or provide additional effects in weapons and armor. Jewelry crafting is a method of creating them. You combine a gemstone with a number specific reagents in a jewelry table. The higher the level of the gemstone, the better the secondary effect. These reagents can be obtained around the world from Treasure Goblins, World Bosses and occasionally by salvaging Legendary gear. You can also buy 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. The boosts to stats will differ depending on the tier the jewel is at when it's slotted into jewelry, weapons or equipment.
The Jeweler is able to create the highest levels of gems except for the rare and legendary ones that require a certain level to get. Jewels can be substituted with another one without damaging the original. However you can only swap out one jewel in an item of equipment only once.
Using more jewels in the movement will make it feel smoother and is usually done for aesthetic reasons. In addition to improving performance, the diamonds create an outer layer that is more durable than steel, so the repeated friction with pivots doesn't cause harm as easily.
A Glyphmaster can provide glyphs to enhance the look of your weapons and shields. These provide a small bonus and can be swapped out at any time however they aren't guaranteed to drop as loot. Glyphs can be upgraded, as jewelry, by visiting the Jeweler for gold and a scattered Crystal. Glyphs are also removed from the inventory, and they are returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components, such as aegis and traits, cannot be swapped out, and can only be retrieved using an Upgrade Extractor, or by salvaging them using Black Lion Salvage Kit or Ascended Salvage Tool.
Trinkets
Trinkets can be used to give your character many small, but valuable, benefits. They can be obtained in the areas of starting as loot, personal story rewards, from vendors, and by performing road interactions. They can also be made by jewelers and later found or purchased from the Trading Post.
The first trinkets a player is able to unlock is the cloak, which gives a small, but valuable boost to speed of movement and evasion. Then, item upgrades can get amulets, rings, and necklaces in the same fashion to how the player can acquire armor and weapons. Each piece of equipment comes with one upgrade slot that can accept either a universal or jewel upgrade. Universal upgrades are smaller and can be used on any device. Jewels are not upgradeable or replaced, and can only be used with certain trinkets.
These trinkets also grant additional bonuses and abilities that are active when the hero is not fighting. This allows the hero to become more efficient even when not in combat. It also helps compensate for the absence of strong slot in the talent tree or team which would normally be filled by the hero's best stats.
As a rule, trinket upgrades should prioritize BiS (Best in Slot) items you won't replace soon. Next, any items that have desirable statistics are less significant than the iLevel of the item to be upgraded. This is especially true if you're looking to upgrade several stats on an item. It's better to upgrade one important stat instead of two subpar ones.
Jungle players will often upgrade their yellow trinkets to a red one at the beginning of the game. Top and mid players, on the other hand, will choose a green or a pink ward, depending on the game's matchup. These choices will have a significant impact on the hero's abilities to control maps.
In addition to the items mentioned above, players can also find other trinkets in the form of rewards and trophies throughout the game. They can be obtained by completing certain milestones within the story. For instance, completing the main quest of a chapter or defeating a boss. You can check them out by selecting the achievement from the reward section of the hero's menu.