Path of Exile Item Upgrades

Upgrades to items are a frequent and essential way to boost the performance of many items in Path of Exile. They can be a good source of extra damage or more AD or even more attachments.

Rare-grade equipment is usually superior to the more modernized Common or Magic gear due to their high demands.

Armor

Armor upgrades are a type of upgrade that can be applied to weapons and armor items. They improve the stats of whatever item upgrader Mod they are attached to. Upgrades to armor are available in the world of the game and can be purchased from Blacksmiths at any bonfire. They can also be salvaged using an expert or higher salvage kit to recover upgrade components from items.

The amount of damage that a piece of armor or weapon can absorb depends on the level of its upgrades. The damage absorption of a piece armor will increase when it is upgraded to the maximum upgrade level. However, it's important to keep in mind that this will increase its weight, causing it to be heavier than it was before.

There are several kinds of armor upgrades available in the game, and they all have different effects. For example, some upgrades give the armor a certain amount of additional health points, while others will make it stronger and lighter. The name of the upgrade will tell you the kind of upgrade the item can be given, as illustrated 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 charges to use, which are indicated by an "Charges" entry in the table below. These charges are either constantly updated or never expire based on the upgrade.

Iron Ore is the cheapest way to improve your armor. You can locate it by exploring and looting small loot chests. Titanium is more expensive, but is readily available at the smelters of Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Certain upgrades, such as the Reforge or the Hot Potato Books can only be applied on armor pieces of the highest level. These upgrades can give significant improvement in stats and are a worthwhile cost, especially for single-handed weapons.

The player must be aware that upgrading a piece to the max upgrade level will increase its defense values. However, it will also reduce the speed and agility of the piece. This is why it is not recommended to upgrade most armor pieces above +9, since the defensive boost gained is usually not worth the extra weight and power costs of the upgrades required.

Weapons

Weapon upgrades allow players to improve the effectiveness of certain aspects of a weapon. For example an upgrade can increase the damage dealt by shotgun shells or the accuracy of the rifle that snipes. Certain weapons also come with upgrades that enhance their inherent capabilities. Frictionless materials (improves stability, minimizes the possibility of overheating) and Kinetic coils (increases the projectile's acceleration to cause more damage) are two examples.

Most weapon upgrades require one of three Power Dices, a different amount of Minerals and Erons and a whetblade for applying. These can be obta more powerful its secondary effect. These reagents can be obtained around the world through Treasure Goblins, World Bosses and sometimes by salvaging Legendary equipment. You can also buy them from The Jeweler for gold and a Scattered Prism.

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

All tiers of jewels can be made at the Jeweler and Jeweler's Workshop, with the exception of the rare and legendary jewels that require you to be at a sufficient level to be able to get the privilege of having them. Like other upgrade components jewels can be swapped by a different jewel of the same kind without destroying the original one. You are able to replace the jewel once within an item upgrader mod of equipment.

The use of more jewels in a move will make it feel smoother and is usually done for aesthetic reasons. The jewels can also enhance performance and make a harder surface than metal so that repeated friction from pivots do not cause damage to the movement.

In addition to the above-mentioned upgrades players can also obtain glyphs for their shields and weapons from a Glyphmaster. These provide a small bonus and can be swapped freely however they aren't guaranteed to drop as loot. Glyphs, just like jewelry, can be upgraded by the Jeweler to exchange Scattered Crystals and gold. Glyphs can also be removed and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components, such as aegis or traits cannot be exchanged and can only be retrieved through an upgrade extractor, or salvaging with Black Lion Salvage Kit or an Ascended Salvage.

Trinkets

Trinkets can be used to provide your hero with various small, but beneficial, advantages. They are available in the starter area as loot or as personal story rewards. They can also be obtained from vendors and by the completion of road interactions. They can also be made by jewelers and later found or purchased from the Trading Post.

The first trinkets a player unlocks will be the cloak. It grants a small but useful bonus in speed of movement and the ability to escape. After that, they can purchase amulets, rings and necklaces in the same fashion to how the player obtains weapons and armor. Each piece of equipment comes with one upgrade slot that can accommodate either a universal or jewel upgrade. Universal upgrades are smaller and can be used on any device. Jewels are not upgradeable or replaced and only work with certain trinkets.

These trinkets also grant additional buffs and skills that are active even when the character is not fighting. This lets the hero perform better when they are not active and also helps to compensate for the absence of a strong team or any talent tree slots which would normally be filled with the hero's ideal stats.

In general trinket upgrades should be prioritized over BiS (Best item upgrade in Slot) items that you aren't likely to replace soon. Next, any items that have desirable statistics aren't as important as the iLevel of the item to be upgraded. This is especially true when an item upgrader mod has multiple stats that you'd like to upgrade items as it's usually better to upgrade just one important stat than two sub-optimal ones.

Jungle players often upgrade their yellow trinket to a red one prior to the beginning of the game. Mid and top players, on the other hand they will select a green or a pink ward, depending on the matchup. These choices can impact a hero's ability to control the map.

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