Path of Exile Item Upgrades
Upgrades to items are a common and important way to improve the performance of many items in Path of Exile. They can be a great source of extra damage or more AD or even more attachments.
Often times however, upgraded Common and Magic gear is beaten out by Rare-grade gear because of their higher requirements.
Armor
Armor upgrades can be applied to both armor and weapon items. They improve the stats of the item they are attached to. Armor upgrades can be found in the world of the game and purchased from Blacksmiths on bonfires. They can also be salvaged by using a professional or higher salvage kits to salvage upgrades from the items.
The amount of damage that an armored piece or weapon will absorb is contingent on the level of its upgrades. The upgrade of an armor piece to the highest upgrade level will boost the damage it absorbs. It is important to note that this will increase the weight of the armor, therefore it must be more heavy.
There are many different kinds of armor upgrade available in the game. Each one has a distinct impact. Certain upgrades grant armor an extra number of health points while others make it lighter and more powerful. The name of the armor upgrade will indicate the kind of upgrade the item can receive, as shown below.
Certain upgrades require magic or a combination of technology and magic, which is shown by the "Magic" and "Hybrids" entries in the table. Furthermore, some upgrades require a charge to use, and are indicated by an "Charges" entry in the table below. These charges are continuously updated or never expire based on the upgrade.
The cheapest way to upgrade armor is by using Iron Ore, which can be gathered by exploring the environment and looting chests of minor loot. Titanium is more expensive, but it can be obtained from the smelters in Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Certain upgrades, such as the Reforge or the Hot Potato Books can only be used on armor pieces of the highest level. These upgrades can provide significant boost in stats, and are worth the investment.
Upgrading a piece of armor to the highest upgrade level will dramatically boost its defense but the wearer must be aware that putting on weight will dramatically reduce its agility and speed. It is not recommended to upgrade armor past +9. item upgrading added defense usually isn't worth the weight and power costs of the upgrades.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades let players increase the effectiveness of certain aspects of the weapon. Upgrades can boost the accuracy of a rifle, or the damage that shotgun shells do. Certain firearms also have upgrades that enhance their inherent characteristics. Frictionless materials (improves stability, minimizes weapon overheating), and Kinetic coils (increases the projectile's velocity for greater damage) are two examples.
Most upgrades for weapons require one of three Power Dices, a different amount of Minerals and Erons, and a whetblade to apply. These can be gained by completing Side Quests or by killing a certain number 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 fee of a certain number of Bars. The higher the upgrade level, the more bars you will need to complete the upgrade. 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 specific number of Bars. You could do this until you reach a max upgrade level of the equipment or weapon, following which the upgrades would reset.
You can still do this but the process is based on RNG and low on agency. You should consider buying equipment that has low upgrade levels and high base scores and stat distributions. These items will have a higher chance of granting you the highest level of advantages and benefits.
Most players will want to make the most of upgrades to weapons they use most frequently to make sure they are able to level up quicker. Additionally players, they should also consider upgrading the weapons that are most popular with their teammates to increase their power as well. Shepard, for example should upgrade his M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R. This will increase the effectiveness of the weapon when accompanied with biotic specialists like Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels are placed in the armor's sockets and weapons, enhancing the stats of a weapon and providing additional effects. Jewelry crafting is the process of making them, where you combine a gemstone with a number specific reagents on a jewelry table. The higher the grade of the gem, the greater the secondary effect. These reagents are available from Treasure Goblins and World Bosses all over the world, or by salvaging Legendary Gear. You can also buy them from The Jeweler for gold and a Scattered Prism.
The Jeweler can enhance the quality of the gem in stages that range from Crude up to Royal. The stat boosts will vary depending on the level the jewel is in when it's slotted into weapons, jewelry, or gear.
The Jeweler is able to create all kinds of gems, apart from the rare and legendary ones that you must attain an appropriate level to obtain. Jewels can be substituted with another jewel without damaging the original. However, you can only replace the jewels in an equipment piece only once.
It is typical to use more gems for aesthetic reasons. In addition to improving performance, the jewels also create an outer layer that is more durable than steel, so the repeated friction from pivots doesn't cause harm as easily.
In addition to the above upgrades, the player can also obtain glyphs for their weapons and shields from a Glyphmaster. These are a small perk and are able to be swapped easily, but are not guaranteed to drop as loot. Glyphs can be upgraded like jewelry, at the Jeweler for gold, and also Scattered Crystal. Glyphs can also be removed and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components, like traits and aegis are not swappable, and can only be retrieved using an Upgrade Extractor, or by salvaging them using a Black Lion Salvage Kit or Ascended Salvage Tool.
Trinkets
Trinkets can give your character various small, but useful, advantages. They can be obtained in the areas of starting as loot or personal story rewards from vendors, and by completing road interactions. They can also be made by jewelers, and then found or purchased on the Trading Post.
The first trinket players will be able to unlock is the cloak. It gives a small, but useful bonus in movement speed and the ability to escape. After that, they'll be able to get amulets, rings, and necklaces in the same manner to the way a player can acquire armor and weapons. Every piece of equipment has a slot for an upgrade that can be either universal or jewel. Universal upgrades offer fewer benefits and can be used in any type of equipment, while jewelry cannot be changed or upgraded, and is only compatible with certain kinds of trinkets.
These trinkets can also grant buffs and skills that remain active whenever the hero is not in combat. This enables the hero to be more effective when not active and also helps to compensate for the absence of a solid team or any talent tree slots which would normally be filled with the hero's ideal statistics.
As a rule trinket upgrades should be prioritized over BiS (Best in Slot) items you won't replace soon. Then, you should consider any items with desirable stats that are less significant than the iLevel for the item to be upgraded. This is particularly true if an item has multiple stats that you'd like to upgrade since it's generally better to upgrade a single important stat than two sub-optimal ones.
Jungle players often upgrade their yellow trinkets to a red one prior to the start of the game. Top and mid players however they will select either a pink or green ward, based on the matchup. These choices will have an impact on the ability of a hero to control the map.
In addition to the items mentioned above, players will also find other trinkets that form of trophies and rewards throughout the game. These can be obtained through completing certain milestones within the story. For example, completing the main quest for a chapter or beating an opponent. You can check them out by selecting the achievement from the reward section of the hero's menu.