Path of Exile Item Upgrades

The performance of a variety of Path of Exile items can be improved by upgrading them. They can be a great source of additional damage or more AD or even more attachments.

In most cases, however, upgraded Common and Magic gear is often surpassed by Rare-grade gear because of their high requirements.

Armor

Armor upgrades can be applied to both armor and weapon items. They increase the effectiveness of the item they are attached to. Armor upgrades can be found in the game's world and can be purchased from Blacksmiths at any bonfire. Alternatively, they can also be rescued from items with upgrade components within them by with a professional or higher salvage kit.

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

There are a few different kinds of armor upgrades available in the game, and they all have different effects. For example, some upgrades will grant the armor a certain amount of additional health points, while others will make it lighter and stronger. The name of the upgrade will indicate the type of upgrade that an item will be given, as illustrated below.

Some upgrades are magic or a hybrid of magic and technology, which is indicated by the "Magic" or "Hybrid" entry in the table below. Certain upgrades also require fees for use. These are indicated as "Charges" entries in the table. These charges are either continuously updated or never expire, depending on the upgrade.

The cheapest method to upgrade armor is with Iron Ore, which can be gathered by exploring the environment and looting minor loot chests. Titanium is more expensive, however, it is available from smelters located in 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 players a significant boost in stats, and are worth the investment.

The process of upgrading an armor piece to its maximum upgrade level will greatly increase its defense values but the wearer must be aware that increasing its weight will dramatically reduce its speed and agility. It is not recommended to upgrade armor above +9. The defensive boost gained usually isn't worth the weight and power expenses of the upgrades.

Weapons

Weapon upgrades allow players to improve the effectiveness of certain aspects of a weapon. Upgrades can increase the accuracy of a rifle or the damage that shotgun shells cause. Certain weapons come with special enhancements to enhance their intrinsic capabilities. These include Frictionless Materials (improves stability and reduces the risk of weapon overheating) and Kinetic Coils (increases the velocity of projectiles for greater damage).

Most upgrades for weapons require three Power Dices, a different amount of Minerals and Erons, and a whetblade for applying. They can be obtained by doing side quests, or killing a certain amount of monsters or bosses, or throuasure Goblins, World Bosses and occasionally by salvaging Legendary equipment. You can also purchase them from The Jeweler for gold and a Scattered Prism.

The quality of a jewel can be improved upon by the Jeweler, in stages that range from Crude to Royal. The boosts to stats will differ according to the tier that the jewel is at when it is inserted into jewelry, weapons or equipment.

The Jeweler is able to create all kinds of gems, with the exception of rare and legendary ones, which require certain levels to gain. Unlike other upgrade components, jewels can be swapped with another identical jewel without damaging it. However, you can only replace one jewel in an item upgrader mod (visit website) of equipment only once.

It is typical to use more jewels for aesthetic reasons. In addition to improving performance, the jewels create a surface that is harder than metal, so repeated friction from pivots doesn't damage them as easily.

In addition to the above upgrades additionally, players can obtain glyphs for their shields and weapons from a Glyphmaster. They offer a small benefit and can be swapped out at any time, but are not guaranteed to drop as loot. Glyphs are upgradeable, as jewelry, by visiting the Jeweler for gold, and also a Scattered Crystal. Glyphs can also be removed and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components such as traits or aegis can't be exchanged, and can only be retrieved with an Upgrade extractor, or salvaging with a Black Lion Salvage Kit or an Ascended Salvage.

Trinkets

Trinkets are a great way to give your character a variety of small, but valuable, benefits. They can be obtained in the areas of starting as loot, personal story rewards, from vendors, and by performing road interactions. They may also be crafted by jewelers and later found or purchased from the Trading Post.

The first trinket a player is able to unlock is the cloak. It grants a small but useful bonus to movement speed and evasion. The player can then collect necklaces, amulets, and rings, in a similar way to how they acquired weapons and armor. Each piece of equipment comes with a slot for an upgrade which can be universal or jewel. Universal upgrades are smaller and can be utilized on any device. Jewels are not upgradeable or replaced and only work with certain trinkets.

These trinkets can provide additional bonuses and abilities that are active when the hero isn't in combat. This lets the hero perform better when they are not active, and can also help make up for a lack of a strong team or any slots in the talent tree which would normally be filled with the hero's best 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 that are less important than the iLevel of the item upgrader kit that is being upgraded. This is particularly true if an item upgrader mod has multiple stats you wish to upgrade, since it's generally better to upgrade just one important stat than two sub-optimal ones.

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

In addition to the items listed above, players will discover other trinkets in form of rewards and trophies throughout the game. These can be obtained by completing certain milestones within the story, like the main quest of a chapter or destroying a boss. You can check them out by selecting the achievement in the reward section of the hero's menu.