WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you boosts in specific statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by +3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless it has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like 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 giving the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any type of armor or weapons. However, the item that is used for the upgrade will be consumed forever and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and can be visited at any time to upgrade your gear. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every few weeks.
The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current level of the gear being upgraded however, they will always be cheaper than buying new gear from other sources. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item level upgrade will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for tools, armor, weapon, and accessory upgrades. Players can purchase them through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners in a variety of currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor with the help of The button will display the item level upgrade's next upgrade level if there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the slot of the item upgrades and the current item upgrader mod level and the weapon's price is higher than bracers or gloves, for instance. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currencies.
Many locations offer item upgraders, including the main Island and some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount as well as a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.
In contrast to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no item upgrader kit upgrader available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. Instead the NPCs that can be used to upgrade must be acquired through various methods, which is both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3, a number of new features have been added to the upgrade system. After a player has earned an upgrade to a specific item level for a particular armor slot, upgrading further items to the same level will cost less even if they belong to a different gear set.
The amount of Valorstones required to upgrade is reduced and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading gear in WoW players have a couple of options. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more special, and are used during specific item level upgrade level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests are only able to be used to purchase equipment that is of a particular rank, and that every rank has different requirements for upgrading. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, contingent on the kind of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through content at the appropriate level. This could be by doing outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in any difficulty to earn equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, but it does bring some changes to the upgrade 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 change is designed to allow players to get their equipment up to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
Another important modification is that crests have one use and it's crucial to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance, it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests with the best equipment you have and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you plan to make. This is particularly relevant for items like rings and trinkets that occupy multiple slots. The discount for the entire account will only apply when all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality gear.