Path of Exile Item Upgrades
The performance of a variety of Path of Exile items can be enhanced by upgrading the performance of them. They can be a great source of additional damage and more AD or even more attaches.
Rare-grade equipment is usually superior to upgraded Common or Magic gear due to their higher requirements.
Armor
Armor upgrades are a kind of upgrade that can be applied to weapon and armor items. They boost the performance of the item they are attached to. Armor upgrades are available in the world of games and are available from Blacksmiths on bonfires. Alternately, they can be salvaged from items that have upgrade components inside them, with a professional or higher salvage kit.
The level of an armor's or weapon's upgrade determines the amount of damage it will take on. A piece of armor upgraded to its highest upgrade level will increase its damage absorption. However, it's important to keep in mind that this will increase its weight, which will cause it to weigh more than it was before.
There are several kinds of armor upgrades that are available in the game, and each one has distinct effects. Certain upgrades give armor an additional number of health points while others make it lighter and more powerful. The type of armor upgrade that an item will receive is indicated by the name of the upgrade as illustrated in the table below.
Certain upgrades require magic or a combination of technology and magic, as identified by the "Magic" and "Hybrids" entries in the table below. Additionally, some upgrades require a fee to use, and are indicated by a "Charges" entry in the table below. These charges are updated daily or never expire depending on the upgrade.
The cheapest method of upgrading armor is by using Iron Ore, which can be found by exploring the area and looting chests of minor loot. Titanium is more expensive however, it is available through 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 players a significant improvements in stats and are definitely worth the investment.
Upgrading a piece of armor to the highest upgrade level will significantly increase its defense capabilities but the wearer must be aware that increasing its weight will drastically reduce its agility and speed. This is why it is generally not recommended to upgrade the majority of armor pieces above +9, since the added defense is generally not worth the weight and power cost of the improvements required.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades let players increase the effectiveness of certain aspects of a weapon. For example an upgrade could improve the damage that is caused by the shells of a shotgun or the accuracy of the rifle that snipes. Certain firearms have upgrades that enhance their inherent capabilities. Frictionless materials (improves stability, and reduces the risk of overheating) and Kinetic coils (increases the projectile's acceleration for greater damage) are two examples.
The majority of weapon upgrades require a whetblade, one of three Power Dices and a different amount Minerals and Erons. These can be obtained by completing Side Quests or by killing a certain amount of bosses and monsters.
To upgrade a weapon, equipment set 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 more bars are required to complete it. If you have multiple upgrade materials, the cost of upgrading will be less.
In Chapter 2: Season 5, the method of upgrading your equipment and weapon sets has changed a bit. In the past you could search for an Upgrade Bench and pay a set amount of Bars to upgrade your equipment or weapon to a higher quality. You could continue to do this until you reached a maximum upgrade level for the equipment or weapon, following which the upgrades would reset.
This is still possible, but it depends heavily on RNG. You should consider buying equipment that has low levels of upgrade but with high base scores and stat distributions. These will then be able to give you the most prestigious bonuses and blessings.
To level up faster, most players will prioritize upgrading their weapons. Players should also upgrade the weapons that their squadmates use to make them stronger. Shepard, for example, should upgrade the M92F so that he can unlock the Beretta M93R. This will increase the effectiveness of the weapon when used with biotic specialists such as Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels can be used to increase a stat or provide secondary effects in armor and weapons. They can be created using an process known as jewelry crafting, where you combine a gem with various reagents at a jewelry table. The higher the level of the jewel has, the more powerful its 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 gold and Scattered Prisms.
The Jeweler can improve the quality of gemstones in stages ranging from Crude up to Royal. The stat boosts will vary according to the tier that the jewel is in when it's inserted into weapons, jewelry, or equipment.
All tiers of jewels can be made at the Jeweler, with the exception of the rare and legendary jewels which require you to be at a sufficient level to be able to get these. Unlike other upgrade components, jewels can be swapped out with another jewel of the same kind without destroying the original one. You can only replace the gem only once in a piece of equipment.
Using more jewels in a movement will make it feel smoother and is typically used to enhance the aesthetics of the movement. The jewels also improve performance and create a surface harder than steel so that repeated friction from pivots does not damage them.
In addition to the above upgrades, the player can also obtain glyphs for their shields and weapons from a Glyphmaster. These are a small perk and can be swapped out at any time however they aren't guaranteed to drop as loot. Glyphs are upgradeable, as jewelry, by visiting the Jeweler for gold, and also Scattered Crystal. upgrade item may also be removed and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components, like traits and aegis aren't swappable and can only be retrieved using an Upgrade Extractor or salvaging them with a Black Lion Salvage Kit or Ascended Salvage Tool.
Trinkets
Trinkets are pieces of equipment that bestow an array of small but useful advantages to your hero. They can be acquired starting in the starter areas as loot, personal story rewards, from vendors, and by doing road interactions. They can also be found on the Trading Post, or crafted by jewelers.
The first trinket players can unlock is the cloak. It grants a small but valuable boost in speed of movement and the ability to escape. The player can then collect rings, amulets and necklaces, in a similar way to how they acquired weapons and armor. Each piece of equipment has an upgrade slot that is either universal or jewel. Universal upgrades offer smaller bonuses and can be used in any type of equipment, however, jewelry cannot be replaced or upgraded and is only compatible with certain types of trinkets.
These trinkets also grant additional buffs and skills that remain active even when the character is not fighting. This lets the hero be more effective while inactive and also helps fill in the void of a solid team or any talent tree slots which would normally be filled with hero's ideal statistics.
As a general rule, trinket upgrades should prioritize BiS (Best in Slot) items you won't replace in the near future. Next, any items with desirable stats that aren't as significant as the iLevel of the item that is to be upgraded. This is particularly true if an item has multiple stats you wish to upgrade, as it's often more beneficial to upgrade one crucial stat than two subpar ones.
Jungle players usually upgrade their yellow trinket to a red one prior to the beginning of the game. Mid and top players however will pick either a pink or green ward, depending on the matchup. These choices will have a significant impact on the hero's ability to control his map.
Apart from the items mentioned above, players can also find other trinkets in the game in the form of awards and trophies. They can be earned by completing certain milestones in the story, for instance finishing a chapter's main quest or killing a certain boss. You can view them by selecting the achievement in the reward section of the hero's menu.