WoW Upgrades - The item level Upgrade Upgrader
Upgrades give you boosts in specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. A random extra substat is also added to each upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless it is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are less valuable for those with higher variance due to the need to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade gear to a higher level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item upgrade that is used for the upgrade will be consumed forever and can't be used again. Upgrades can be used to create the enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks to keep your equipment up to date.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the item upgrader mod however, they are always cheaper than purchasing new equipment. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for weapons, armor, tools, and accessory upgrades. They can be bought by players from NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be applied to any weapon or tool using a button, which displays an item's preview when it is upgraded in the event that the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the item slot and the current item level, with weapons costing more than bracers or gloves, for instance. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Certain upgrades provide a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currency types.
Item upgraders can be found in a variety of locations, including the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and a possibility of obtaining the latest recipe. The discount for upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded, and can be increased by having players complete some specific achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the beginning, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades require a variety of means which is both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with several new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a certain level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading other items to that same item level will cost less even when they are part of an entirely different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is available across 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 achievement milestones.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading gear in WoW, players have a variety of options. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item upgrade level upgrades. Crests are an important component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be spent on gear of a specific rank, and that every rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and simplest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade can require up to 20 crests, based on the type or equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through content that is of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, dungeons or raids of all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The new currency system isn't complicated to use, however it will bring some changes to the upgrade items process. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it will no longer require Flightstones. This is to allow players to get their equipment to the highest level possible on all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another important change is that crests only have one use and it's crucial to use them properly. For instance, it's a good idea to utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests on the best gear you have available and save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning to create. This is especially applicable to items like rings and trinkets that occupy multiple slots. The discount on the account will only be applicable if all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.