14 Common Misconceptions Concerning Item Upgrade

WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades will give you a boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases the item upgrader kit level by +3. A random additional substat is also added to every upgrade.

The upgraded gear is usually more useful, unless the item has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like Eth Titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the necessity to roll for a perfect version.

Recycle Points

The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be made on any kind of weapon or armor. The item level upgrade used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create the enchantments.

You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every several weeks.

The cost of upgrades will be based on the current item level of the gear being upgraded however, they will always be cheaper than buying new gear from other sources. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are useful items which can be used to level up weapons, tools, armor, and other items. They can be bought by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for different currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be applied to any tool, weapon, or armor. The button will show the preview of an item level upgrade's next upgrade level, in the event that there are enough materials.

The cost of upgrading is based on the slot of the item and current Item Level Upgrade level as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than gloves or bracers, for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Certain upgrades provide discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currencies.

A lot of locations offer upgraders for items which include the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and a chance to obtain a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases according to the number of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be increased by requiring players to complete specific achievements or quests.

Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs who can facilitate upgrades are available only through a variety means. This is both a positive and a disadvantage.

In Season 3 the upgrade system was tweaked a bit, with several new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a particular item level for a particular armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level will cost less, even if they are part of a different gear set.

The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players reach certain milestones in their achievements.

Crests

Players have several choices when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an integral part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.

The first thing to remember is that crests are only able to be spent on equipment of a particular rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade items can require up to 20 crests, depending on the kind of equipment being upgraded.

Players can earn crests through finishing tasks at the appropriate level. This could be by engaging in outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of any difficulty to earn lower-tier gear or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. Crests can be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.

The new currency system isn't difficult to use, but it will bring some changes to the process of upgrading. For instance, once an item reaches the highest upgrade level of any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change lets players upgrade their equipment to the highest level possible on all of their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.

It's also important to use crests in a wise manner, as they are only used for one purpose. It's best to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the top-quality equipment you can find, and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly relevant for rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character, which will only be able to avail the account-wide discount if all slots are filled with high-quality gear.