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 also provide additional damage, AD or even affixes.
Sometimes, however upgraded Common and Magic gear is outclassed by Rare-grade gear due to their requirements.
Armor
Armor upgrades are a form of upgrade that can be applied to weapons and armor items. They boost the effectiveness of the item they are attached to. Armor upgrades can be 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 within them by using a specialist or more powerful salvage kit.
The level of an armor's or weapon's upgrade determines the amount of damage it will absorb. The upgrade of an armor piece to its highest upgrade level will increase the damage it absorbs. It is important to note that this will increase the weight of the armor, so it should be heavier.
There are a few different types of armor upgrades available in the game, and they all have different effects. Certain upgrades grant armor an extra amount of health points while others make it stronger and lighter. The name of the armor upgrade will indicate the kind of upgrade the item can receive, as shown below.
A few upgrades also feature magic or a mix of technology and magic, which is identified by the "Magic" or "Hybrid" entry in the table below. Some upgrades also require a charge to use, which is identified by an "Charges" entry in the table below. These charges are continuously updated or never expire depending on the upgrade.
Iron Ore is the cheapest way to improve your armor. You can locate it by exploring and looting small chests. Titanium is more expensive but can be found at the smelters of Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Some upgrades, like the Reforge or the Hot Potato Books can only be applied on armor pieces that are of high-level. These upgrades can give significant boost to stats and are worth the investment, especially for 1-handed weapons.
The process of upgrading an armor piece to max upgrade level will greatly increase its defense capabilities however, the user must be aware that increasing its weight can drastically decrease its speed and agility. Therefore, it is not recommended to upgrade most armor pieces above +9, since the defensive boost gained is usually not worth the weight and power costs of the improvements required.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades allow players to improve the effectiveness of certain aspects of the weapon. For example an upgrade can increase the damage dealt by shotgun shells or the accuracy of a rifle sniper. Certain firearms also have upgrades that enhance their inherent characteristics. Frictionless materials (improves stability, reduces the risk of weapon overheating) and Kinetic coils (increases the projectile's speed for greater damage) are two examples.
The majority of upgrades for weapons require a whetblade. It's one of three Power Dices and a different amount of Minerals and Erons. They can be obtained by completing side quests or killing a certain amount of monsters and bosses.
Upgrades to a weapon, equipment Set piece, or Whetblade requires visiting the NPC [Armor] Boboko in Central Flarine and paying her an upgrade cost of a set number of Bars. The higher the upgrade level, the more bars you will need to complete the upgrade. The cost of upgrades will be lower if have more than one of the relevant upgrade materials.
In Chapter 2: Season 5, the method of upgrading your weapon and equipment sets was a bit different. 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 your weapon or equipment reached its maximum upgrade level and at that point, the upgrades would reset.
You can still do this but the process is high on RNG and low on agency. It is better to purchase gear with minimal upgrade levels and high base scores and stat distributions. These gears have a higher chance of giving you the highest tier advantages and benefits.
Most players will want to make the most of upgrades to weapons they are most likely to use to help them level up quicker. In addition players, they should also consider upgrading the weapons that are most popular with their teammates to increase their power and effective. For instance, Shepard should consider upgrading the M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R, which will make it more useful when paired with experts in biotics like Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels are placed in the sockets of armor and weapons, enhancing the stats of a weapon and providing additional effects. They can be created through the process of jewelry crafting, in which you combine a gem with various ingredients at a table for jewelry. The higher the level of the jewel has, the more powerful its secondary effect. These reagents are available from Treasure Goblins and World Bosses in the world, or through collecting Legendary Gear. You can also buy them from The Jeweler in exchange for Scattered Prisms and gold.
The quality of a diamond can be improved upon by the Jeweler in stages that range from Crude to Royal. Based on the level of the jewel it will give different stat boosts when inserted into weapons, gear and jewelry.
The Jeweler can craft all kinds of gems, with the exception of rare and legendary ones that you must be at certain levels to gain. Jewels can be substituted with another jewel without destroying the original. You can only replace the gem once in an item of equipment.
It is normal to use more gems to enhance the appearance of. The jewels can also enhance performance and make a harder surface than metal so that repeated friction from pivots does not damage them.
In addition to the above-mentioned upgrades, the player can also get glyphs for their shields and weapons from a Glyphmaster. These glyphs give a slight boost and can be swapped, but they are not guaranteed to appear as loot. Glyphs can be upgraded, as jewelry, by visiting the Jeweler for gold and a scattered Crystal. Glyphs can also be taken out and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components, such as aegis or traits cannot be swapped, and can only be found with an Upgrade extractor or salvaging with the Black Lion Salvage Kit or Ascended Salvage tool.
Trinkets
Trinkets are small pieces of equipment that bestow a wide range of tiny but valuable advantages to your hero. You can find them in the start-up area as loot or personal story rewards. They can also be obtained from vendors and by the completion of road interactions. They can also be crafted by jewelers and later found or purchased on the Trading Post.
The first trinkets that a player unlocks will be the cloak, which grants an unimportant but beneficial boost in speed of movement and evasion. Then, they can get amulets, rings, and necklaces in a similar fashion to how the player acquires armor and weapons. Every piece of equipment has a slot for an upgrade that is either universal or jewel. Universal upgrades provide smaller bonuses and can be placed in any type of equipment while jewelry cannot be replaced or upgraded, and only works with certain types of trinkets.
These trinkets also provide 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 lack of a good team or talent tree slots which are usually filled by the hero's optimal stats.
A good rule of thumb for trinket upgrades is to prioritize BiS (Best-in-Slot) items that you aren't planning to replace soon, followed by items with desirable stats but less important than the iLevel of the item that is being upgraded. This is especially true when you want to upgrade multiple statistics on an item. It is more beneficial to upgrade a single important stat instead of two subpar ones.
At the beginning of the game, players who are in the jungle will typically want to upgrade their trinket to a red, while top and middle players typically choose either a pink or green ward (depending on the game's matchup). These choices can affect the ability of a hero to control the map.
In item upgrade to the items listed above, players can find other trinkets in the game in the form of awards and trophies. They can be obtained through completing certain milestones within the story. For instance, finishing the main quest for a chapter or beating a boss. You can view them by clicking on the achievement in the reward section of the hero's menu.