This is accounted for by the levelreq in cubemain.txt and was known for some time in the AB.
In pseudo-code, the new level requirement can be expressed as this:
max(level_requirement_of_new_base_item, level_requirement_of_unique) + level_requirement_adder
The level_requirement_adder is +5 with a normal exceptional upgrade and +7 with an exceptional to elite upgrade. These are cumulative, so a normal to elite would get +12.
*points to links in sig*
In pseudo-code, the new level requirement can be expressed as this:
max(level_requirement_of_new_base_item, level_requirement_of_unique) + level_requirement_adder
The level_requirement_adder is +5 with a normal exceptional upgrade and +7 with an exceptional to elite upgrade. These are cumulative, so a normal to elite would get +12.
*points to links in sig*