10 Things Competitors Inform You About Item Upgrades
Path of Exile Item Upgrades
The performance of many Path of Exile items can be improved by upgrading them. They can cause additional damage, AD or even affixes.
Rare-grade equipment is often superior to modernized Common or Magic equipment due to their higher requirements.
Armor
Armor upgrades can be applied to both weapon and armor items. They increase the effectiveness of the item upgrader kit they're attached to. Armor upgrades are available in the world of the game and purchased from Blacksmiths on bonfires. They can also be salvaged using an expert or higher salvage kit to salvage upgrade components from items.
The level of an armor's or weapon's upgrade determines the amount of damage it can take on. The upgrade of an armor piece to the highest upgrade level will increase its damage absorption. It is important to keep in mind that this will increase the weight of the armor, therefore it must be heavier.
There are a variety of armor upgrades 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 armor upgrade will tell you the kind of upgrade items an item upgrading can receive, as shown below.
Certain upgrades require magic or a combination of technology and magic, as identified by the "Magic" and "Hybrids" entries in the table below. Additionally, some upgrades require a charge to use, which is identified by a "Charges" entry in the table below. The charges for these upgrades refresh daily or never expire, depending on the upgrade.
The cheapest method to upgrade armor is with Iron Ore, which can be found by exploring the environment and looting chests of minor loot. Titanium is more expensive but is readily available in the smelters of Orgrimmar and Stormwind City. Certain upgrades, like the Reforge and the Hot Potato Books, can only be applied to higher level armor pieces. These upgrades can provide a significant improvements in stats and are a worthwhile cost, especially for single-handed weapons.
The player must be aware, however, that upgrading a piece to the maximum upgrade level can boost its defense. However, it can also reduce its agility and its speed. It is not recommended to upgrade armor above +9. The defensive boost gained generally isn't worth the weight and power costs of the upgrades.
Weapons
Weapon upgrades allow players to increase the effectiveness of specific aspects of an weapon. For instance an upgrade could enhance the damage caused by a shotgun's shells or the accuracy of a rifle that snipes. Some weapons also have special upgrades that improve their innate qualities. These include Frictionless Materials (improves stability and reduces the risk of the risk of overheating) and Kinetic Coils (increases the velocity of projectiles for greater 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 are obtained through either completing Side Quests, killing a certain amount of bosses or monsters, or by contacting the Weapon Upgrade NPC located 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 that is based on a specific number of Bars. The higher the upgrade level, the more bars required to complete it. 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 sets has changed. Prior to Chapter 2: Season 5, you could upgrade your weapon and equipment by paying a specific number of Bars. You could do this until you reach a maximum upgrade level for the equipment or weapon, after which upgrades would reset.
You can still do this however, the process is high on RNG and low on agency. You should consider buying equipment with low upgrade levels and high base scores and stat distributions. They will also have a better chance of bringing you the highest tier bonuses and blessings.
The majority of players will make the most of upgrades to weapons they use most frequently to make sure they are able to level up faster. In addition to these players, they should also consider upgrading the weapons they use with their teammates to increase their power and effective. For instance, Shepard should consider upgrading the M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R, which will make it more useful when paired with experts in biotics like Grunt and Tali.
Jewels
Jewels can be used to improve the effectiveness of a skill or provide additional effects in weapons and armor. They can be made through an process known as jewelry crafting, in which you combine a gemstone and various reagents at a jewelry table. The higher the quality of the jewel the better the secondary effect. These reagents can be obtained around the world from Treasure Goblins, World Bosses and, sometimes, by salvaging Legendary gear. You can also buy them from The Jeweler for gold and a Scattered Prism.
The quality of a gem can be improved by the Jeweler, in stages that range from Crude to Royal. Based on the tier of the gem it will give different stat boosts when it is inserted into gear, weapons and jewelry.
The Jeweler can create all kinds of gems, apart from the rare and legendary ones that you must attain certain levels to gain. Jewels can be substituted with another one without damaging the original. However, you can only replace the jewels in a piece of equipment only once.
The use of more jewels in the movement will make it feel smoother and is usually used for aesthetic reasons. In addition to improving performance, the jewels create an outer layer that is more durable than steel, so the repeated friction from pivots doesn't cause damage as easily.
A Glyphmaster can provide glyphs that can enhance the appearance of your weapons and shields. These glyphs offer a small boost in power and can be exchanged, however they are not guaranteed to appear as loot. Glyphs are upgradeable, as jewelry, by visiting the Jeweler for gold and a Scattered Crystal. Glyphs may also be removed and returned to the inventory. Other upgrade components such as traits or aegis can't be swapped, and can only be recovered through an upgrade extractor, or salvaging with Black Lion Salvage Kit or an Ascended Salvage.
Trinkets
Trinkets are a great way to give your character many small, but useful advantages. They are available in the starting area as loot or personal story rewards. They are also available through vendors and after completing road interaction. They can also be crafted by jewelers, and found or purchased from the Trading Post.
The first trinket players will be able to unlock is the cloak. It provides a tiny, but useful bonus in speed of movement and the ability to evade. Then, they can purchase amulets, rings and necklaces in the same way to how a player acquires weapons and armor. Every piece of equipment has an upgrade slot that is either universal or jewel. Universal upgrades are smaller and can be used on any equipment. Jewels cannot be upgraded or replaced and are only compatible with certain trinkets.
These trinkets provide additional buffs and abilities that are active even when the hero isn't engaged in combat. This allows a hero to become more efficient even when not in combat. It can also make up for the absence of strong slots in the team or talent tree which are usually filled by the hero's best stats.
A good guideline for trinket upgrades is to prioritize BiS (Best-in-Slot) items that you will not replace soon, followed by items with desirable stats that are less important than the iLevel of the item level upgrade upgrader mod, their website, to be upgraded. This is particularly true if an item has multiple stats you'd like to upgrade as it's often better to upgrade just one crucial stat than two subpar ones.
In the beginning of the game players in the jungle are likely to upgrade their yellow trinket to a red in the middle and top players typically choose 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.
Aside from the items mentioned above, players may also find other trinkets in the game in the form of trophies and awards. These can be earned by completing certain milestones in the story. For instance, completing the main quest of a chapter or beating an opponent. You can view them by clicking on the achievement in the reward section of the hero's menu.