Path of Exile Item Upgrades

item upgrades (sources) are a common and essential way to boost the performance of numerous items in Path of Exile. They can provide extra damage, AD or even affixes.

Rare-grade equipment is often superior to modernized Common or Magic gear due to their high demands.

Armor

Armor upgrades are a type of upgrade that can be used on weapons and armor items. They improve the performance of the item upgrading they are connected to. Armor upgrades are found in the game's world and can be purchased from Blacksmiths at any bonfire. They can also be salvaged using an expert or higher salvage kit to retrieve upgrades from the items.

The level of an armor's or weapon's upgrade determines the amount of damage it will take on. The damage absorption of an armor piece will increase as it is upgraded to the maximum upgrade item level. It is important to note that this will increase the weight of the armor, which means it must be heavier.

There are several types of armor upgrades available in the game and they all have distinct effects. For instance, some upgrades give the armor a certain amount of additional health points, while others will make it stronger and lighter. The kind of armor upgrade item an item can receive will be identified by the name of the upgrade as shown in the table below.

Some upgrades are magical or a combination of magic and technology, which is identified by the "Magic" or "Hybrid" entry in the table below. Certain upgrades also require fees in order to be used. These are identified as "Charges" entries in the table. The charges associated with these upgrades change every day or never expire, according to the upgrade.

The cheapest method of upgrading armor is with Iron Ore, which can be found by exploring the environment and looting small loot chests. Titanium is more expensive but is readily available at the smelters of Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Some upgrades, like the Reforge or the Hot Potato Books can only be applied to high-level armor pieces. These upgrades can provide significant boost in stats, and are well worth the investment.

The player must be aware that upgrading a piece to its maximum upgrade level will boost its defense. However, it can also decrease its agility and its speed. It is not recommended to upgrade armor above +9. The added defense generally isn't worth the weight and power costs of the upgrades.

Weapons

Weapon upgrades allow players the ability to improve certain aspects of their weapon. For example an upgrade can increase the damage dealt by shotgun shells or the accuracy of the rifle that snipes. Some weapons also have special upgrades that enhance their inherent characteristics. Frictionless materials (improves stability, and reduces the possibility of overheating), and Kinetic coils (increases the projectile's speed to cause more damage) are two examples.

The majority of upgrades to weapons require a whetblade, one of three Power Dices and a different amount of Minerals and Erons. These 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 higher the upgrade level, the higher the number of bars are required to complete it. If you have multiple upgrade materials the cost of upgrading will be lower.

In Chapter 2: Season 5, the way you upgrade your equipment and weapon sets changed a little. 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 equipment or weapon, after which upgrades would reset.

It's still possible, but it is dependent heavily on RNG. You should consider buying equipment with low upgrade levels, but high base scores and stat distributions. These gears have a higher likelihood of granting you highest tier benefits and blessings.

The majority of players will prioritize weapon upgrades for the weapons they are most likely to use to allow them to progress quicker. Players should also upgrade the weapons their squadmates use to boost their strength. Shepard for instance, should upgrade the M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R. This will make the weapon more effective when accompanied by biotic specialists like Grunt and Tali.

Jewels

Jewels can be used to improve a stat or provide secondary effects in armor and weapons. Jewelry crafting is a method of making them, where you combine gemstones with specific reagents in a jewelry table. The higher the grade of the jewel, the better its secondary effect. These reagents can be gotten from Treasure Goblins and World Bosses in 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 diamond can be improved by the Jeweler, in stages that range from Crude to Royal. The stat boosts can vary depending on the tier the jewel is in when it's inserted into jewelry, weapons, or equipment.

All tiers of jewels are crafted at the Jeweler, with the exception of the rare and legendary jewels which require you to be at a sufficient level to qualify for them. Unlike other upgrade components, jewels are able to be swapped by a different jewel of the same kind without destroying it. You can only replace the gem once in an item of equipment.

It is common to use more gems for aesthetic reasons. In addition to improving performance, the diamonds create an outer layer that is more durable than metal, so repeated friction from pivots won't cause damage as easily.

A Glyphmaster can provide glyphs that can enhance the appearance of your weapons and shields. These glyphs offer a small boost in power and can be exchanged, however they are not guaranteed to appear as loot. Glyphs are like jewelry and can be upgraded by the Jeweler in exchange for Scattered Crystals and gold. Glyphs can also be removed from the inventory, and they are returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components, like traits and aegis, cannot be swapped out, and can only be recovered using an Upgrade Extractor, or by salvaging them using the Black Lion Salvage Kit or an Ascended Salvage Tool.

Trinkets

Trinkets are pieces of equipment that offer a wide range of tiny but valuable advantages to your hero. They are available in the start-up area as loot or as personal story rewards. They can also be obtained from vendors and by completing road interaction. They can also be crafted by jewelers and later found or purchased at the Trading Post.

The first trinket that a player can unlock is the cloak. It gives a small but beneficial boost in speed of movement and the ability to evade. Then, they can acquire rings, amulets, and necklaces in the same way to how a player acquires armor and weapons. Each piece of equipment has a slot for an upgrade which can be universal or jewel. Universal upgrades provide smaller bonuses and can be used in any kind of equipment while jewelry cannot be changed or upgraded and only works with certain types of trinkets.

These trinkets also provide additional bonuses and abilities that are active even when the character is not fighting. This allows a hero to be more efficient while inactive. It can also make up for the lack of a strong team or talent tree slots which would normally be filled by a hero's top stats.

A good general rule of thumb for trinket upgrades is to prioritize BiS (Best-in-Slot) items that you won't be replacing in the near future, then any items with desirable stats but less important than the iLevel of the item upgrader to be upgraded. This is especially true when an item upgrader has multiple stats you'd like to upgrade, as it's usually better to upgrade a single crucial stat than two subpar ones.

Jungle players will often upgrade their yellow trinkets to a red trinket at the beginning of the game. Top and mid players on the other hand, will choose a pink or green ward, based on the matchup. These choices can impact the hero's ability to manage the map.

Apart from the things mentioned above, players may also discover a variety of other trinkets throughout the game in the form of awards and trophies. These can be obtained through completing certain milestones within the story. For example, completing the main quest of a chapter or beating a boss. You can view them by clicking on the achievement in the reward section of the hero's menu.