Path of Exile Item Upgrades

Upgrades to items are a frequent and essential way to boost the performance of numerous items in Path of Exile. They can also provide additional damage, AD or even affixes.

Rare-grade equipment is usually superior to upgraded Common or Magic gear because of their high requirements.

Armor

Armor upgrades are a kind of upgrade that can be used on armor and weapon items. They improve the performance of the Item upgrader kit they are attached 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 professional or higher salvage kit to salvage upgrade components from other items.

The level of an armor's or weapon's upgrade determines the amount of damage it can absorb. A piece of armor upgraded to the highest upgrade level will increase its ability to absorb damage. However, it's important keep in mind that this will raise its weight, requiring it to weigh more than before.

There are many different kinds of armor upgrades that are available in the game. Each one has a distinct impact. Certain upgrades give armor an extra number of health points, while others make it stronger and lighter. The name of the upgrade will indicate the kind of upgrade the item can receive, as shown below.

Certain upgrades require magic or a hybrid technology and magic, which is indicated by the "Magic" and "Hybrids" entries in the table. Certain upgrades require charges for use. These are identified as "Charges" entries in the table. These charges are either constantly updated or never expire based on the upgrade.

The cheapest way to upgrade armor is to use Iron Ore, which can be gathered by exploring the environment and looting chests of minor loot. Titanium is more costly, but can be found in the smelters of Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Certain upgrades, like the Reforge and the Hot Potato Books, can only be applied to high level armor pieces. These upgrades can give a significant improvements in stats and are worth the cost.

Upgrading a piece of armor to the highest upgrade level will significantly increase its defense values but the wearer must be aware that putting on weight can drastically decrease its agility and speed. It is not recommended to upgrade armor past +9. The defensive boost gained generally isn't worth the weight and power expenses of the upgrades.

Weapons

Weapon upgrades allow players to improve the effectiveness of certain aspects of an weapon. For instance an upgrade could increase the damage dealt by shotgun shells or the accuracy of a sniper rifle. Some weapons also have special upgrades that improve their innate capabilities. These include Frictionless Materials (improves stability and minimizes the risk of overheating) and Kinetic Coils (increases projectile acceleration for more damage).

The majority of upgrades to weapons require a whetblade. It's one of three Power Dices and a different amount of Minerals and Erons. These can be obtained by completing Side Quests, killing a certain number of bosses or monsters, or by contacting the Weapon Upgrade NPC in Central Flarine.

To upgrade a weapon, equipment set piece, or Whetblade, you must visit the NPC [Armor] Boboko located in Central Flarine, and pay her an upgrade fee of a specific amount of Bars. The more bars you need to complete an upgrade, the more expensive the upgrade. The cost of the upgrades will be lower if you have more than one of the relevant upgrade materials.

In Chapter 2: Season 5 the way you upgrade 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 continue to do this until you reach a maximum upgrade item level for the equipment or weapon, following which upgrades would reset.

This is still possible, but it is dependent heavily on RNG. You should consider buying equipment with minimal upgrade levels, but high base scores and stat distributions. These will then have a better chance of bringing you the most prestigious benefits and blessings.

The majority of players will prioritize upgrades to the weapons they use most frequently to help them level up faster. In addition to these, players should consider upgrading the weapons favored by their teammates to increase their power and effective. For instance, Shepard should consider upgrading the M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R to enhance its effectiveness when accompanied by experts in biotics 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 gemstones with specific reagents in a jewelry table. The higher the quality of the jewel the better the secondary effect. These reagents can be obtained from Treasure Goblins and World Bosses in the world, or by collecting Legendary Gear. You can also purchase them from The Jeweler in exchange for gold and Scattered Prisms.

The quality of a diamond can be improved upon by the Jeweler, in stages that range from Crude to Royal. The stat boosts can vary depending on the tier the jewel is at when it is inserted into jewelry, weapons, or gear.

All levels of jewels are crafted at the Jeweler, with the exception of the rare and legendary gems that require you to be at a high enough level to obtain the privilege of having them. Jewels can be replaced by another jewel without destroying the original. However, you can only replace one jewel in an item of equipment only once.

Utilizing more jewels in a movement will make it feel smoother and is usually done to enhance the aesthetics of the movement. The jewels can also enhance performance and make a harder surface than steel, so that the repeated friction from pivots do not cause damage to them.

A Glyphmaster can offer glyphs to improve the look of your shields and weapons. These glyphs give a slight boost in power and can be exchanged, however they are not guaranteed to be available as loot. Glyphs are upgradeable, like jewelry, at the Jeweler for gold, and also a scattered Crystal. Glyphs can also be removed, which returns them to the inventory. Other upgrade components, like traits and aegis, are not swappable, and can only be recovered using an Upgrade Extractor or salvaging them with a Black Lion Salvage Kit or an 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 or personal story rewards from vendors, and by doing road interactions. They may also be crafted by jewelers, and then found or purchased from the Trading Post.

The first trinkets a player is able to unlock is the cloak. It grants a small but useful bonus to speed of movement and the ability to escape. The player can then collect necklaces, amulets, and rings, in a similar way similar to how they obtained weapons and armor. Each piece of gear comes with one upgrade slot that can accommodate either a universal or a jewel upgrade. Universal upgrades provide smaller bonuses and can be placed in any type of equipment, however, jewelry cannot be replaced or upgraded and only works with specific types of trinkets.

These trinkets can provide additional bonuses and abilities that are active when the hero isn't fighting. This lets a hero be more efficient while inactive. It also helps compensate for the absence of excellent slot in the talent tree or team which would normally be filled by the hero's optimal stats.

As a general rule, trinket upgrades should prioritize BiS (Best item upgrade in Slot) items that you will not replace soon. Also, consider items with desirable stats that aren't as important as the iLevel for the item to be upgraded. This is especially true if you're looking to upgrade several stats on an item. It is best to upgrade just one crucial stat rather than two suboptimal ones.

At the beginning of the game players who are in the jungle will typically want to upgrade their trinket into a red one, while top and mid players will usually opt for the pink or green ward (depending on the game's matchup). These choices will have an impact on the ability of a hero to control the map.

In addition to the items listed above, players will find other trinkets that form of rewards and trophies throughout the game. These can be earned by completing certain milestones within the story, like completing a chapter's main quest or destroying a boss. They can be viewed by selecting the relevant achievement in the reward tab of the hero menu.