WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the item level by +3. A random substat is also added to each upgrade.
The upgraded gear is usually more useful, unless the item has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a high variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by giving the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to the enchantments.
The upgrader is located in every major city, and can be accessed anytime to upgrade your gear. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader every few weeks.
Upgrades will cost more depending on the level of the item, however they'll always be cheaper than purchasing new gear. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points while purchasing the same Best item upgrader from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items which can be used to upgrade weapons and tools, armor and other accessories. They are purchased by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any tool, weapon, or armor. The button will display the item's next upgrade level, in the event that there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the slot of the item level upgrade and current item level and the weapon's price is higher than gloves or bracers, for example. Each upgrade item cost 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Certain upgrades provide a discount on the Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain level and is degraded, it can be sold and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currency types.
Many locations offer item upgraders which include the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrading increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players finish certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the beginning unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only available through a variety means. This is both a positive and an issue.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and several new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a particular level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading other items to that level will be less expensive, even when they are part of an entirely different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players achieve certain achievement milestones.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW players have a few options. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1, and come in four ranks.
First, you should know that Crests are only available to gear of a certain rank. Each rank has an upgrade path that is different. The simplest and simplest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade can require up to 20 crests, based on the type or gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing content of the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader for the Item Level Upgrade such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and pathways.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't that difficult, but the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade process. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it will no longer require Flightstones. This allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests in a wise manner, as they have only one purpose. For instance it's a good idea use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the top equipment available and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning to make. This is especially relevant for items like trinkets and rings that fill several slots. The discount on the account is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with top-quality gear.