WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of the item by +3. A random substat is also boosted alongside every upgrade.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless it is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a high variance in stats (like the eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are less important for those with lower requirements because of the requirement to roll the perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade gear to a higher level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapon. However, the item that is used for the upgrade will be consumed forever and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to the enchantments.
The upgrader is located in all major cities, and can be visited anytime to upgrade your gear. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each couple of weeks.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the level of the item, however they'll always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment. For instance, upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points while purchasing the same item from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items which can be used to level up weapons, tools, armor, and other items. They can be purchased from NPCs of Item level upgrade upgraders in a variety of currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased, it can be applied to any weapon or tool with the help of The button will show the item upgrader kit's next upgrade level, when there are enough materials.
The upgrade cost depends on the item slot and the current item level and the weapon's price is higher than bracers or gloves, for example. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain amount, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of the two currencies.
Many locations offer item upgraders which include the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and a chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players finish certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at beginning, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades require several methods which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, many new features were added to the upgrade system. After an upgrade has been completed to a certain item level for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level will cost less. This is regardless of whether the items are from another set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players have reached certain achievement milestones.
Crests
Players have a number of options for upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more special and are utilized during specific item upgrading level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1, and come in four ranks.
First, you must be aware that Crests are only available to equipment that is of a particular rank. Each rank has distinct upgrade paths. The most basic and straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the more complex one may require as many as 20 crests, based on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing 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 Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. Crests can be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
Using these new currencies isn't too complicated however, the system will introduce a few modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, when an item upgrader mod reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This is to allow players to get their equipment to the highest level possible on all their characters instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests only have one use and it's crucial to use them properly. For instance it's a good idea utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests with the Best item upgrader gear you have available and keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you're planning to create. This is especially true for items like rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character that will be able to benefit from the account-wide discount when all slots are filled with top-quality equipment.