Low level rares or high level normals? Need help!

So I'm kinda new to this game, have watched some YouTube guides and have an okay general knowledge, but is largely lacking in most areas. I currently have a level 31 witch in Act 3 normal, and I wanted to ask a question. Is it better to equip low item level gear which are rares so have bonus stats, or higher item level normal gear which have no bonus stats but have higher base stats? Sorry it is so unspecific, I don't know how to link items from in-game to here so I can't show you an example. Any help would be appreciated, thank you in advance.

To link items click on your character name that is at the top of the screen near the Path of Exile logo. Go to your inventory/stash and just click on items as you type inside a forum post.

Usually low level rares are better, I mean unless you are talking a 20 level difference or something.

I can't remember the items levels, I think the first one is 12 and second one is 30.

Another example:

If we ignored sockets, which ones would be better and why?

Two things:

1.The level of the piece of gear determines when you can equip it. e.g your Jingling Spirit Shield can be used at level 28

2. The item level of a piece of gear determines what prefix/suffix it can roll.

Generally, rares and blues will almost always be better than whites (there are a few exceptions very early on), because the base stats are neglectable in comparison to the survivability that resist or life gives.

While your white shield gives you 5% more spelldamage, the resists and the mana on the other shield are nice stats to have. You shouldn't worry to much about the energy shield stat for now, it usually has low impact if not build for.

What matters most on leveling gear:
life, linked sockets, resist and damage bonuses.

In low levels, you can replace rare items with blue items pretty easily.
Does it have linked sockets and some life? If it has more of either of those two things, it's a likely upgrade. Does it also have a resist or a dps bonus? That's only two stats... And some linked sockets. Blue items can be very good for leveling in normal and early cruel.

White items? Nah, the only white items you should be using will be in act 1 and hopefully have them all replaced by act 2.
You might want to look into vendor recipes on the wiki page. While you're on that site, you can look at base items.
Some base items - within a 5 level range of your character - are going to be superior base items b/c of the base stats. This is really noticeable when looking at weapons. A slow melee weapon typically hits for much more than a faster weapon. When mana is an issue, many players opt for leveling with a two hand melee weapon, even if their spec will eventually end up using a one-hand and shield or duel wield.

When looking at those base stats, understand that armour slows the character's run speed. For this reason, many racers don't equip a chest item until a boss fight... This is only really applicable to racing events and is more of a neitch thing for players aiming for the top positions. Still, it's info on base items.

Firstly, thanks for all the feedback so far, it's been very helpful to me! :D
Sorry, I still have some questions though!

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Xybb escribió:

While your white shield gives you 5% more spelldamage, the resists and the mana on the other shield are nice stats to have. You shouldn't worry to much about the energy shield stat for now, it usually has low impact if not build for.

I have been currently trying to follow ZiggyD's beginner arc witch build, and so far have been prioritizing gear with more energy shield. I think soon I am supposed to pick up Eldritch Battery and eventually Mind Over Matter (and using Arctic Armour, though I don't think you need to know that). Because I will be getting Eldritch Battery, should I prioritize ES like I have been doing so (therefore using white items with no resist but more base ES), or should I look for resists, life and mana (with lower base ES)

(Another example I found of rare vs white:
The second one has much higher ES and better sockets, but no bonus stats from affixes/suffixes.)

Base items will continue to be better, as you level.
If you decide you want to upgrade because your old base item is too low... This WILL happen. You'll want to roll additional stats onto the base item.
How to roll additional stats:
Don't waste alchemy orbs on items below /itemlevel 60 which will start dropping once you've entered level 58-60+ zones.
Find a linked socket version of the white item you want to roll, so you don't waste fusings & Jewelers.
Once you have the white item with linked sockets, use armour scraps to increase its quality to 20%. This takes 4 scraps, for a white item and 20 for a yellow.
Use a transmute.
If it doesn't have one or more favorable stats, use an alteration.

Don't waste all of your alterations on gear you'll replace in a few levels.

Things to understand before starting:
How item level effects the stats an item can have.
What item level is required to roll max sockets.
What the best 3-4 stats will be for the item you're rolling.
What is the next base item you'd be willing to repeat this process is. It's too expensive for a new player to do for each slot multiple times while leveling.

I get it a lot better now, thanks for all the feedback everyone! It's much appreciated :D