WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases item level by 3. Each upgrade also boosts an unspecified substat.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless the item has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like eth Titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be made on any type of armor or weapons. However, the item Level upgrade that is used to upgrade items will be consumed for the duration of time and can't be used again. Upgrades can be used to create Enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader each several weeks.
Upgrades will cost more depending on the level of the item however they'll always be cheaper than buying new gear. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items which can be used to level up weapons tools, armor, and accessories. They can be purchased by players from item upgraders NPCs for various currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor. The button will show the item's next upgrade level, in the event that there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot for the item and the current level of the item. For instance weapons are more expensive than bracers, or gloves. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain level, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Upgraders for items are available at many locations including the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and a possibility of obtaining an entirely new recipe. The upgrade discount increases depending on the amount of items being upgraded, and can be boosted by having players complete some specific achievements or quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no upgrader for items available at the start of Icewind Dale. Instead, the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades require several methods which is both an improvement as well as 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 certain level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading further items to the same level will cost less even in the event that they belong to another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required to upgrade is reduced and the discount is available across all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players achieve certain achievement milestones.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW players have a couple of options. Flightstones are an item that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more special and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an integral part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that the crests can only be purchased for equipment with a certain rank. Each rank comes with a different upgrade items path. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, contingent on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through working through content at the appropriate level. This could be done by engaging in outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of all difficulty levels to obtain lower-level gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons that have a high difficulty to obtain endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an upgrader for the item such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken to upgrade the item upgrader kit in the proper steps and paths.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, but it brings some changes to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it will no longer require Flightstones. This change is designed to allow players to get their equipment to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests have one use and it's crucial to use them wisely. It's best to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the best gear you can find and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next round of upgrades. This is particularly applicable to rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character which will only be able to take advantage of the account-wide discount if all of the slots are filled with top-quality gear.