Guide To Item Upgrades: The Intermediate Guide For Item Upgrades
Path of Exile item upgrades (check out this blog post via Securityholes)
Item upgrades are a common and crucial method to enhance the performance of a variety of items in Path of Exile. They can also provide additional damage, AD or even affixes.
Sometimes, 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 weapon and armor items. They boost the performance of the item they are attached to. Armor upgrades can be found in the world of the game and are available from Blacksmiths on bonfires. They can also be salvaged using an expert or higher salvage kit to retrieve upgrades from the items.
The level of an armor's or weapon's upgrade determines the amount of damage it will absorb. Upgrading a piece of armor to the highest upgrade level will boost the damage it absorbs. But, it's important to note that this will also raise its weight, requiring it to weigh more than before.
There are a variety of armor upgrades available in the game. Each one has a distinct impact. For example, some upgrades will give the armor a certain amount of additional health points, while others make it stronger and lighter. The kind of armor upgrade item an item can get will be indicated by the name of the upgrade as indicated in the table below.
A few upgrades also feature magic or a hybrid of technology and magic which is indicated by a "Magic" or "Hybrid" entry in the table below. Some upgrades also require charges to use. These are indicated as "Charges" entries in the table. These charges are continuously updated or never expire, depending on the upgrade.
The cheapest method of upgrading armor is with Iron Ore, which can be obtained by exploring the environment and looting minor loot chests. Titanium is more expensive, but it can be obtained from smelters located in Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Some upgrades, such as the Reforge and the Hot Potato Books, can only be applied to high level armor pieces. These upgrades can give significant boost to stats and are worth the investment, especially for 1-handed weapons.
A piece of armor upgraded to its maximum upgrade level will dramatically increase its defense values however, the user must be aware that putting on weight will drastically reduce its agility and speed. It is not recommended to upgrade armor past +9. The boost in defense usually isn't worth the weight and power expenses of the upgrades.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades allow players to increase the effectiveness of certain aspects of the weapon. Upgrades can boost the accuracy of a rifle or the damage that shotgun shells cause. Certain firearms also have upgrades that improve their innate capabilities. They include Frictionless Materials (improves stability and reduces the risk of weapon overheating) and Kinetic Coils (increases the speed of projectiles to cause more damage).
The majority of upgrades to weapons require one of three Power Dices, a different amount of Minerals and Erons, and a whetblade for applying. These can be obtained by finishing side quests, killing a certain amount of monsters or bosses, or from the Weapon Upgrade NPC in Central Flarine.
Upgrades to a weapon, equipment Set piece, or Whetblade requires visiting the NPC [Armor] Boboko in Central Flarine and paying her an upgrade price of a certain number of Bars. The more bars you need to complete an upgrade the more advanced the level. The cost of upgrades will be less if you have more than one of the upgrade materials.
In Chapter 2: Season 5 the way you upgrade your weapon and sets has changed. Prior to Chapter 2: Season 5 you could upgrade your weapon or equipment by paying a certain number of Bars. You could continue to do this until you reach a maximum upgrade level for the equipment or weapon, after which the upgrades would reset.
You can still do this, however, the process is high on RNG and low on agency. Instead, you're better off visiting stores and buying equipment with low upgrade levels, but good base scores and stat distributions. These will be able to give you the best tier of benefits and blessings.
The majority of players will prioritize weapon upgrades for the weapons they are most likely to use to make sure they are able to level up quicker. Players should also upgrade the weapons that their teammates utilize to increase their power. For instance, Shepard should consider upgrading the M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R to make it more useful when paired with experts in biotics like Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels are placed in the armor's sockets and weapons, increasing a stat and providing secondary effects. Jewelry crafting is the process of making them, where you combine the gemstone with specific reagents on a table. The higher the tier of the gemstone is, the greater its secondary effect. These reagents can be gotten from Treasure Goblins and World Bosses all over the world, or through collecting Legendary Gear. You can also buy them from The Jeweler in exchange for Scattered Prisms and gold.
The quality of a jewel can be improved at the Jeweler, in stages that vary from Crude to Royal. The stat boosts can vary depending on the level the jewel is at when it is inserted into jewelry, weapons or other gear.
The Jeweler is able to create all kinds of gems, apart from the rare and legendary ones, which require a certain level to get. Jewels can be replaced by another one without damaging the original. You can only replace the jewel once within an item upgrader kit of equipment.
It is normal to use more jewels to enhance the appearance of. In addition to improving performance, the jewels create an area that is stronger than metal, so repeated friction from pivots won't damage them as easily.
In addition to the above-mentioned upgrades additionally, players can obtain glyphs for their shields and weapons from a Glyphmaster. They offer a small benefit and are able to be swapped easily but aren't guaranteed to drop as loot. Glyphs are upgradeable, as jewelry, by visiting the Jeweler for gold and a Scattered Crystal. Glyphs can also be removed and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade items components, such as traits or aegis cannot be exchanged, and can only be retrieved through an upgrade extractor or salvaging with the Black Lion Salvage Kit or an Ascended Salvage tool.
Trinkets
Trinkets are pieces of equipment that offer an array of small, but beneficial benefits to your hero. They are available in the starting area as rewards for personal stories or loot. They can also be obtained from vendors as well as through the completion of road interactions. They can be purchased from the Trading Post, or crafted by jewelers.
The first trinket a player is able to unlock is the cloak, which gives a small, but valuable boost in speed of movement and the ability to escape. After that, they can get amulets, rings, and necklaces in a similar way to how a player acquires weapons and armor. 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 put into any type of equipment while jewelry cannot be replaced or upgraded, and only works with certain kinds of trinkets.
These trinkets can also grant buffs and skills that are active even when the character is not in combat. This allows a hero to become more efficient even when not in combat. It also helps compensate for the lack of a good team or talent tree slots which are usually filled by the hero's best stats.
As a rule, trinket upgrades should prioritize BiS (Best in Slot) items that you aren't likely to replace soon. Also, consider items with desirable statistics that aren't as important as the iLevel of the item that is to be upgraded. This is true especially if you're looking to upgrade several statistics on an item upgrading. It is best to upgrade just one crucial stat instead of two subpar ones.
Jungle players often upgrade their yellow trinkets to a red one prior to the beginning of the game. Mid and top players, on the other hand they will select a pink or green ward, based on the game's matchup. These choices will have a significant impact on the hero's map control abilities.
In addition to the items listed above, players will also find other trinkets that form of rewards and trophies throughout the game. These can be earned through completing certain milestones in the story, for instance finishing a chapter's main quest or destroying a boss. These achievements can be seen by selecting the appropriate achievement in the reward tab of the hero menu.