WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you boost in certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the item level upgrade level by +3. Each upgrade also boosts an unspecified substat.
The upgraded gear typically has a greater value for trade as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or has a high stat variance (like Eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as valuable for those with higher variance due to the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. However, the item used for the upgrade items will be consumed for the duration of time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear current it is recommended you visit the upgrader each several weeks.
The cost of upgrading will vary based on the current item level of the item being upgraded, but will always be cheaper than buying new gear from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for tools, armor, weapon and accessory upgrades. They are 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 with the help of The button will display a preview of an item's next upgrade level, in the event that there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot for the item and the current item level. For example weapons are more expensive than bracers, or gloves. 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 amount it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Item upgraders can be found in many places on the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and a possibility of obtaining a new recipe. The discount for upgrades increases depending on the amount of items being upgraded. It can also be increased by requiring players to complete specific achievements or quests.
In contrast to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II, there is no item upgrader available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are only accessible through a variety means. This is both a benefit as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was modified a bit, and some new features added. When a player has an upgrade to a certain level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading other items to that same item level will cost less, even when they are part of a different gear set.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is reduced as well, but is only available when certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
Players have a number of options when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific upgrades to the level of an item. Crests are a crucial part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests are only able to be used to purchase equipment of a particular rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The most basic and straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the most complex can require as much as 20 crests depending on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing content of the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of all difficulty for items of higher tier, or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an item upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and pathways.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, but it does bring some modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, when an item upgrade (Google says) 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 possible ilvl on all of their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
Another significant modification is that crests have one purpose and it's crucial to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance it's Best item upgrader to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the Best item upgrade equipment you have and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan to create. This is especially relevant for items like trinkets and rings that take up several slots. The discount on the account is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with high-quality gear.