WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boost in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also boosts the random substatus.
The upgraded gear is usually more useful, unless the item Level Upgrade has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like Eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are less useful for those with higher variance because of the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapon. The item used to upgrade item the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can be used to create the enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader once every few weeks, to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current level of the gear being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than buying new gear from other sources. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points purchasing a similar piece from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that are used to upgrade weapons and tools, armor and other accessories. They are purchased by players through NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for different currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any tool, weapon or armor. The button will show a preview of an item's next upgrade level, in the event that there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the item slot and current item level and the weapon's price is higher than gloves or bracers, for instance. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with some upgrades having a discount to reduce the cost of Flightstones or crests that are used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currency types.
Upgraders for items are available in many places including the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount as well as a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases with the number of items that are being upgraded. It can also be boosted by having players complete specific achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades must be acquired through various methods which is both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade items system. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a certain level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading additional items to that level will cost less, even if they are part of another set of gear.
The discount applies to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
Players have a number of choices 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 used for specific item upgrades level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.
First, you must be aware that Crests are only available to gear that is of a particular rank. Each rank has a different upgrade path. The most basic and straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complicated requires as many as 20 crests based on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing content of the appropriate level, which means walking around and doing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses to obtain endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and pathways.
The use of these currencies isn't too difficult however, the system does introduce some modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible level for all their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests only have one use and it's crucial to use them wisely. For instance, it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests with the best gear you have available, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan on making. This is particularly true for items like rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character, which can only be eligible to avail the discount for all accounts when all slots are filled with high-quality equipment.