Path of Exile Item Upgrades
The performance of many Path of Exile items can be improved by upgrading the performance of them. They can be a good source of additional damage or more AD or even more attaches.
In most cases, however, upgraded Common and Magic gear is often surpassed by Rare-grade gear due to their higher requirements.
Armor
Armor upgrades can be applied to both weapon and armor items. They improve the stats of the item they're connected to. Upgrades to armor are available in the game's world and can be purchased from Blacksmiths at any bonfire. They can also be salvaged using a specialist 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 when it is upgraded to its maximum upgrade level. However, it's important keep in mind that this will raise its weight, requiring it to be heavier than it was before.
There are several types of armor upgrades that are available in the game and they all have different effects. For instance, certain upgrades will grant the armor a certain number of additional health points, while others will make it stronger and lighter. The name of the armor upgrade will indicate the type of upgrade that an item will receive, as shown below.
Some upgrades are magic or a mix of technology and magic which is identified by the "Magic" or "Hybrid" entry in the table below. Certain upgrades require charges in order to be used. These are identified as "Charges" entries in the table. These charges are updated daily or never expire depending on the upgrade.
The cheapest method of upgrading armor is to use Iron Ore, which can be gathered through exploring the surroundings and looting minor loot chests. Titanium is more costly, but can be found at the smelters in Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Certain upgrades, such as the Reforge and the Hot Potato Books, can only be applied to high level armor pieces. These upgrades can give significant boost to stats and are worth the cost, especially for single-handed weapons.
Upgrading a piece of armor to max upgrade level will greatly boost its defense however, the user must be aware that putting on weight will drastically reduce its speed and agility. Therefore, it is typically not recommended to upgrade the majority of armor pieces above +9, because the increase in defense is typically not worth the weight and power costs of the upgrades needed.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades allow players to increase the effectiveness of specific aspects of a weapon. Upgrades can improve the accuracy of a rifle or the damage caused by shotgun shells. Certain firearms have enhancements to enhance their intrinsic qualities. Frictionless materials (improves stability, minimizes weapon overheating) and Kinetic coils (increases the projectile's velocity to cause more damage) are two examples.
The majority of upgrades to weapons require the use of a whetblade, or one of the three Power Dices and a different amount Minerals and Erons. These can be obtained by completing Side Quests, killing a certain amount of monsters or bosses, or by contacting 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 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 weapon and equipment 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 your weapon or equipment reached its maximum upgrade level and at that point, the upgrades would reset.
It's still possible, but it is dependent heavily on RNG. item upgrading should consider buying equipment with minimal upgrade levels and high base scores and stat distributions. These will then be able to give you the highest tier benefits and blessings.
The majority of players will prioritize weapon upgrades for the weapons they are most likely to use to make sure they are able to level up quicker. Players should also upgrade the weapons their teammates utilize to increase their power. Shepard, for example should upgrade his M92F in order to unlock the Beretta M93R. This will make the weapon more useful when used with biotic specialists like Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels can be used to improve the stats of a character or to provide additional effects in armor and weapons. Jewelry crafting is the process of creating them. You combine the gemstone with specific reagents in a jewelry table. The higher the level of the gem, the better its secondary effect. These reagents can be found 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 Jeweler can boost the quality of a gem in stages ranging from Crude up to Royal. Depending on the tier of the gem it will give different stat boosts when it is inserted into weapons, equipment and jewelry.
All kinds of jewels can be made at the Jeweler and Jeweler's Workshop, with the exception of the rare and legendary jewels which require you to be at a certain level to qualify for the privilege of having them. Jewels can be replaced with another jewel without damaging the original. However, you can only replace a jewel in a piece of equipment once.
It is common to use more gems to enhance the appearance of. The jewels can also enhance performance and make an outer layer that is more durable than steel so that repeated friction from pivots do not cause damage to the movement.
In addition to the above-mentioned upgrades additionally, players can get glyphs for their shields and weapons from a Glyphmaster. They offer a small benefit and can be swapped out at any time but aren't guaranteed to drop as loot. Glyphs can be upgraded, like jewelry, at the Jeweler for gold and Scattered Crystal. Glyphs can also be taken out and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components such as traits or aegis cannot be swapped, and can only be found by using an Upgrade extractor, or salvaging with a Black Lion Salvage Kit or Ascended Salvage.
Trinkets
Trinkets are small pieces of equipment that bestow a wide range of small but useful advantages to your hero. They are available in the starter area as rewards for personal stories or loot. They are also available from vendors and by the completion of road interactions. They can also be made by jewelers, and found or purchased on the Trading Post.
The first trinket players can unlock is the cloak. It provides a tiny, but useful bonus in speed of movement and evasion. The player can then collect necklaces, amulets, and rings in a similar fashion as they did with weapons and armor. Each piece of equipment comes with a slot for an upgrade that can be either universal or jewel. Universal upgrades are smaller and are able to be used on any device. Jewels are not upgradeable or replaced and are only compatible with certain trinkets.
These trinkets can provide additional bonuses and abilities that are active even when the hero isn't fighting. This lets a hero become more efficient even when not in combat. It can also compensate for the lack of a strong slots in the team or talent tree that are normally filled by the hero's best stats.
A good rule of thumb for trinket upgrades is to prioritize BiS (Best-in-Slot) items that you won't be replacing soon, followed by any items with desirable stats that are less important than the iLevel of the item to be upgraded. This is especially true if you're looking to upgrade several statistics on an item. It is best to upgrade just one crucial stat rather than two suboptimal ones.
Jungle players will often upgrade their yellow trinkets to a red one prior to the beginning of the game. Mid and top players on the other hand, will choose either a pink or green ward, based on the matchup. These choices can impact the ability of a hero to control the map.
Aside from the items mentioned above, players can 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 in the story. For example, completing a chapter’s main quest or beating an opponent. You can check them out by clicking on the achievement in the reward section of the hero's menu.