WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases item level by 3. A random additional substat is also boosted alongside each upgrade.
Upgraded gear generally sees more value in trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variation (like Eth titan weapons). Upgrades are less important for those with higher variance due to the requirement to roll the perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by giving the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. However, the Item Level Upgrade used to upgrade will be consumed forever and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade item your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader each couple of weeks.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the item level, but they will always be less expensive than purchasing new gear. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points while buying a similar item from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that can be used to level up weapons and tools, armor and other accessories. They can be purchased by players from NPCs of item upgraders in a variety of currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased, it can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor with an button, which displays an image of the item at its next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot for the item and the current level of the item. For instance, weapons will cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain amount it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower price.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items which include the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The upgrade item discount increases when more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete certain achievements or quests.
In contrast to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no item upgrader available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. Instead the NPCs that can be used to upgrade are acquired via several methods, which is both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade system. After the player has upgraded to a certain item level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same level will cost less. This is even if those items come from another set of equipment.
The discount applies to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
Players have several choices when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are an integral part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
First, you must be aware that the crests can only be purchased for gear with a certain rank. Each rank comes with an upgrade path that is different. The simplest and simplest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, based on the type or gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing tasks at the appropriate level. This could be by doing outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in all difficulty levels to obtain lower-level gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and pathways.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, but it does bring some changes to the upgrade item process. When a piece of equipment has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it no longer requires Flightstones. This is to allow players to get their equipment to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another significant modification is that crests have one usage and it's crucial to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance, it's a good idea use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the top equipment available, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan to make. This is particularly applicable to trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character that will be able to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all slots are filled with top-quality gear.