Path of Exile item upgrades (https://Stairways.wiki/wiki/The_Most_Convincing_Proof_That_You_Need_Item_Upgrading)

Item upgrades are a common and important way to improve the performance of numerous items in Path of Exile. They can also provide additional damage, AD or even affixes.

Often times however upgraded Common and Magic gear is beaten out by Rare-grade gear because of their requirements.

Armor

Armor upgrades are a type of upgrade that can be used on weapon and armor items. They improve the effectiveness of the item upgrader they are attached to. Upgrades to armor can be found in the world of the game and are available from Blacksmiths on bonfires. Alternatively, they can also be salvaged from items that have upgrade components in them using a specialist or more powerful salvage kit.

The level of an armor's or weapon's upgrade determines the amount of damage it can take on. A piece of armor upgraded to its highest upgrade level will increase its ability to absorb damage. But, it's important to note that this will also raise its weight, requiring it to weigh more than it was before.

There are a few different types of armor upgrades that are available in the game and they all have different effects. For instance, some upgrades will give the armor a certain amount of additional health points, while others make it lighter and stronger. The name of the armor 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, as indicated by the "Magic" and "Hybrids" entries in the table below. Additionally, some upgrades require a charge to use, which are identified by an "Charges" entry in the table below. These charges are continuously updated or never expire depending on the upgrade.

The cheapest way to upgrade armor is by using Iron Ore, which can be gathered by exploring the environment and looting small loot chests. Titanium is more expensive, however, it is available at the smelters 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 provide significant improvements in stats and are well 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 can drastically decrease its speed and agility. It is not recommended to upgrade items armor above +9. The added defense typically isn't worth the weight and power costs of the upgrades.

Weapons

Weapon upgrades let players increase the effectiveness of specific aspects of the weapon. Upgrades can boost the accuracy of a rifle or the damage that shotgun shells do. Certain firearms have enhancements to enhance their intrinsic capabilities. They include Frictionless Materials (improves stability and minimizes the risk of overheating) and Kinetic Coils (increases projectile acceleration for more damage).

The majority of weapon upgrades 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 from the Weapon Upgrade NPC located in Central Flarine.

The process of upgrading a weapon, equipment Set piece, or Whetblade requires visiting the NPC [Armor] Boboko in Central Flarine and paying her an upgrade cost of a certain number of Bars. The more bars needed to complete an upgrade the more expensive the upgrade. The cost of upgrades will be lower if have more than one of the upgrade materials.

In Chapter 2: Season 5, the ways to upgrade your equipment and weapon sets was a bit different. Prior to Chapter 2: Season 5 you could upgrade your weapon or equipment by paying a certain amount of Bars. You could do this until the weapon or equipment reached its maximum upgrade level, at which point the upgrades would reset.

This is still possible, but it is dependent heavily on RNG. Instead, you're better off going to stores and buying gear with low upgrade levels, but excellent base scores and stat distributions. These will then be able to give you the highest tier bonuses and blessings.

Most players will want to prioritize weapon upgrades for the weapons they are most likely to use to allow them to progress faster. Players should also upgrade items the weapons that their squadmates use to boost their strength. For instance, Shepard should consider upgrading the M92F to unlock the Beretta M93R, which will enhance its effectiveness when paired with biotic specialists like Grunt and Tali.

Jewels

Jewels are utilized in the armor's sockets and weapons, enhancing a stat and providing secondary effects. They can be made through an process known as jewelry crafting, in which you combine a gemstone and a number of specific reagents at a jewelry table. The higher the level of the gem, the greater the secondary effect. These reagents can be found around the world from Treasure Goblins, World Bosses and, sometimes, by salvaging Legendary gear. You can also purchase them from The Jeweler in exchange for gold and Scattered Prisms.

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 tier the jewel is at when it's inserted into jewelry, weapons or equipment.

All levels of jewels can be crafted at the Jeweler however, there are some exceptions to this, such as the rare and legendary gems that require you to be at a high enough level to obtain these. Jewels can be substituted with another jewel without damaging the original. However it is only possible to replace one jewel in an equipment piece once.

It is typical to use more jewelry to enhance the appearance of. The jewels can also enhance performance and create an outer layer that is more durable than metal so that repeated friction from pivots does not cause damage to the movement.

A Glyphmaster can provide glyphs that can enhance the appearance of your weapons and shields. These are a small perk and are able to be swapped easily however they aren't guaranteed to drop as loot. Glyphs can be upgraded, 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, such as traits and aegis, aren't swappable and can only be recovered using an Upgrade Extractor or salvaging them with Black Lion Salvage Kit or an Ascended Salvage Tool.

Trinkets

Trinkets are items of equipment that provide many small, but beneficial advantages to your hero. They are available in the starter area as rewards for personal stories or loot. They are also available from vendors as well as through the completion of road interactions. They may also be crafted by jewelers, and then found or purchased on the Trading Post.

The first trinkets a player unlocks will be the cloak, which grants an unimportant but beneficial boost to speed of movement and the ability to escape. The player will then be able to acquire necklaces, amulets, and rings in a similar manner similar to how they obtained weapons and armor. Each piece of gear comes with one upgrade slot that can accept either a universal upgrade or a jewel upgrade. Universal upgrades provide smaller bonuses and can be put into any kind of equipment while jewelry cannot be replaced or upgraded and only works with specific types of trinkets.

These trinkets provide additional buffs and abilities that are active even when the hero isn't fighting. This enables the hero to be more effective while inactive and may also help fill in the void of a strong team or the absence of any slots in the talent tree that would normally be filled with the hero's ideal stats.

A good general rule of thumb for trinket upgrades is to prioritize BiS (Best item upgrader-in-Slot) items that you won't be replacing soon, followed by items with desirable stats that are less important than the iLevel of the item being upgraded. This is especially true when you are looking to upgrade multiple statistics on an item. It's more beneficial to upgrade a single important stat than two less important ones.

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

Aside from the items mentioned above, players can find other items in the form of trophies and awards. These can be obtained through completing certain milestones within the story. For example, completing the main quest for a chapter or defeating a boss. These can be viewed by selecting the relevant achievement in the reward tab of the hero menu.