Quality

Click to load content

Path Of Exile - Guide - Quality Basics

Quality applies to armour, weapons, flasks, gems and maps; in short, all equipment aside from amulets, rings, belts, quivers and jewels. It always varies from 0% (at which point it is not displayed on the item) to 20%. Each item type has a currency item associated with it to increase its quality. Quality can be an extremely important method of improving items, as it does not affect the requirements for using an item or the mana cost of skills.

All items are capped at 20% quality and each currency that affect quality will improve normal items by 5% each, magic items by 2%, and rare and unique items by 1%.

Quality percentages make crafting sockets and links with Jeweller's OrbJeweller's OrbStack Size: 20Reforges the number of sockets on an itemRight click this item then left click a socketed item to apply it. The item's quality increases the chances of obtaining more sockets. and Orb of FusingOrb of FusingStack Size: 20Reforges the links between sockets on an itemRight click this item then left click a socketed item to apply it. The item's quality increases the chances of obtaining more links. respectively on that item easier. Each 1% quality improves the result by 1%; this makes the process 20% easier on 20% quality items. Since the Ascendancy expansion using a Jeweller's OrbJeweller's OrbStack Size: 20Reforges the number of sockets on an itemRight click this item then left click a socketed item to apply it. The item's quality increases the chances of obtaining more sockets. or an Orb of FusingOrb of FusingStack Size: 20Reforges the links between sockets on an itemRight click this item then left click a socketed item to apply it. The item's quality increases the chances of obtaining more links. no longer consumes all the quality on that item.

Armour

On armour (helmets, body armours, gloves, boots and shields) quality increases the armour, evasion and energy shield by the listed percentage. It is additive to increases and reductions from another modifiers.

The quality of pieces of armour may be improved with an Armourer's ScrapArmourer's ScrapStack Size: 40Improves the quality of an armourRight click this item then left click an armour to apply it. Has greater effect on lower-rarity armours. The maximum quality is 20%..

Example:

A piece of armour that naturally gives 100 armour that has 100% increased Armour and +50 to Armour would now, with 20% quality, give 330 armour.

(100 base armour + 50 armour) * (1 + 1/100*(100% increased armour + 20% quality)) = 150 * 2.2 = 330 armour

Weapons

Quality on weapons grant increased Physical Damage equal to a number of quality that stacks additively with increased Physical Damage modifier on the weapon.

The quality of weapons may be improved with a Blacksmith's WhetstoneBlacksmith's WhetstoneStack Size: 20Improves the quality of a weaponRight click this item then left click a weapon to apply it. Has greater effect on lower-rarity weapons. The maximum quality is 20%..

Example:

A weapon that has 50–100 physical base damage, a 100% increased Physical Damage, an Adds 10–20 Physical Damage and 20% quality, will deal 132–264 damage.

(50 base minimum damage + 10 adds minimum damage) * (1 + 1/100*(100% increased physical damage + 20% quality)) = 60 * 2.2 = 132 minimum damage

(100 base maximum damage + 20 adds maximum damage) * (1 + 1/100*(100% increased physical damage + 20% quality)) = 120 * 2.2 = 264 maximum damage

Flasks

Quality of recovery flasks increase the amount of health and/or mana restored by the quality percentage. Utility flasks have their duration increased by the quality percentage instead. It is additive to increases and reductions from another modifiers.

The quality of flasks may be improved with a Glassblower's BaubleGlassblower's BaubleStack Size: 20Improves the quality of a flaskRight click this item then left click a flask to apply it. Has greater effect on lower-rarity flasks. The maximum quality is 20%..

Example:

A flask which normally restores 100 Life and 50 Mana instead restores 120 Life and 60 Mana if it has 20% quality.

Maps

On maps, quality is treated as extra item quantity. It is added to the quantity from affixes of the map. Maps may be improved with a Cartographer's ChiselCartographer's ChiselStack Size: 20Improves the quality of a mapRight click this item then left click a map to apply it. Has greater effect on lower-rarity maps. The maximum quality is 20%..

Skill Gems

Both active and support skill gems may have quality. Every skill is affected by quality differently, but frequently it somehow improves the damage dealt with the skill. Buffs and curses, obviously, do not have their damage improved. Even those that do have their damage improved will see different rates of improvement for a given amount of quality.

The quality of skill gems may be improved with a Gemcutter's PrismGemcutter's PrismStack Size: 20Improves the quality of a gemRight click this item then left click a gem to apply it. The maximum quality is 20%.. These upgrades always improve a skill's quality by 1%. Alternatively, a level 20 skill gem and a Gemcutter's PrismGemcutter's PrismStack Size: 20Improves the quality of a gemRight click this item then left click a gem to apply it. The maximum quality is 20%. can be sold for a level 1 gem with 20% quality.

It is possible to get a gems quality above 20% through corruption, the use of and certain gear allowing up to 44% quality on skill gems (60% with Atziri's DisfavourAtziri's Disfavour
Vaal AxeTwo Handed Axe
Physical Damage: (414-434) to (544-564)
Critical Strike Chance: 5.00%
Attacks per Second: (1.29-1.33)
Weapon Range: 2.3 metresRequires Level 64, 158 Str, 76 Dex25% chance to Maim on Hit+30% to Quality of Socketed Support Gems
Adds (310-330) to (370-390) Physical Damage
(12-16)% increased Attack Speed
25% chance to cause Bleeding on Hit
+1 metres to Weapon Range"I do not believe in disguising my disappointment."
- Atziri, Queen of the Vaal).