WoW Upgrades - The item level upgrade (Google blog entry) Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of the item upgrader mod by +3. A random substat is also boosted alongside each upgrade.
Upgraded gear generally sees more value in trade regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or very high stat variance (like the eth titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the need to roll to get a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapons. However, the item that is used to upgrade will remain in use for a long time and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enhancements.
You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks to keep your equipment up to date.
Upgrades will cost more depending on the item level, but they will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment. For instance, upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points while buying a similar item upgrading from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase weapon, armor, tool and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players through item upgrader NPCs in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be used on any weapon or tool using a The button will show the preview of an item's next upgrade level when there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the item slot and the current level of the item and the weapon's price is higher than bracers or gloves, for instance. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currencies.
Many locations have upgraders for their items, including the main Island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and the possibility of obtaining the latest recipe. The upgrade discount increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no upgrader for items available in the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who can facilitate upgrades are available only through a variety of methods. This is both a benefit as well as an issue.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was modified a bit, and some new features added. Once a player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same level will cost less. This is true even if the items come from an entirely different set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW players have a variety of options. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
First, you should know that the crests can only be purchased for equipment that is that is of a particular rank. Each rank comes with an upgrade path that is different. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, contingent on the kind of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through tasks at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities or doing dungeons or raids in all difficulties to get equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons that have a high difficulty to obtain endgame gear. These crests can be exchanged with an upgrader for the item like Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and paths.
The use of these currencies isn't that difficult, but the system does introduce some changes to the overall upgrade process. For instance, once an item reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible level on all of their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests wisely, as they have only one purpose. It's Best item upgrade to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the highest-quality gear that you can find and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is especially relevant for items like trinkets and rings that fill several slots. The discount for the entire account is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.