WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost in certain stats. Each upgrade increases item level by +3. Each upgrade also boosts an unspecified substat.
The upgraded gear typically has a more value in trade as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or very high stat variance (like Eth titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade item gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapons. However, the item used to upgrade will be consumed forever and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enhancements.
The upgrader is located in all major cities and can be visited at any time to upgrade your gear. It is recommended to visit the upgrader every couple of weeks to ensure that your equipment is up-to-date.
The cost of upgrades will depend on the current level of the equipment being upgraded however, they will always be cheaper than buying new gear from other sources. For instance upgrading a Benthic chest piece to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points while buying a similar item from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for weapon, armor, tool, and accessory upgrades. Players can purchase them from item upgraders NPCs in a variety of currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any weapon, tool or armor. The button will display the item's next level of upgrade, when there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot of the item and the current item upgrader kit level. For example weapons cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of the Flightstones or crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain amount, it can be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currency types.
Upgraders for items are available in many places on the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both 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 complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item level upgrade - Going in Gtcm - upgrader at the beginning, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades require several methods which is both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system was altered a bit, with some new features added. After a player has upgraded to a certain level of item upgrader mod for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same level will cost less. This applies even if the items come from an entirely different set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW, players have a few choices. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system that 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 gear of a specific rank, and each rank has its own requirements for upgrading. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade requires up to 20 crests, depending on the type or gear being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by working through content that is of the appropriate level, whether that means walking around and doing outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons of all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests can be exchanged with an upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and routes.
Using these new currencies isn't too difficult, but the system will introduce a few modifications to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible level for all their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests wisely, as they only have one use. For instance it's a good idea use all of your Whelpling-rank crests with the best equipment available, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning to make. This is particularly relevant for trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character, which can only be eligible to avail the account-wide discount when all of the slots are filled with high-quality gear.