WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boosts in certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. A random extra substat is also boosted alongside every upgrade item.
The upgraded gear is usually more useful, unless the item has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like the eth Titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any kind of armor or weapons. The item used to upgrade the item upgrader kit will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader every several weeks.
Upgrades will cost more depending on the level of the item however they'll always be cheaper than purchasing new gear. 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 to upgrade weapons, armor, tools and accessory upgrades. They can be bought by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for different currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be applied to any weapon or tool with the help of button, which will show an image of the item level upgrade at the next upgrade level in the event that the player has enough materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the item slot, and the current level of the item. For example weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of Flightstones or crests that are used. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain degree, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Many locations have upgraders for their items which include the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon as well as the possibility of obtaining a new recipe. The upgrade discount increases according to the number of items being upgraded, and can be boosted by requiring players to complete specific achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the beginning, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead the NPCs that can be used to upgrade are acquired via a variety of means, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was altered a bit, with several new features added. Once a player has upgraded to a certain item level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level, will cost less. This applies even if those items are from another set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is reduced too, but it is only available after certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a variety of choices. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more special and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are an important element of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests can only be spent on gear of a specific rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the more complex one requires as many as 20 crests, based on the kind of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing content at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities or doing dungeons or raids in all difficulty levels to obtain lower-tier gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons that have a high difficulty for endgame gear. The crests can later be exchanged at an item upgrades upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it will bring some changes to the process of upgrading. For instance, when an item is at the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't need Flightstones to be upgraded. This is to allow players to upgrade their equipment up to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests in a wise manner, as they have only one purpose. It is Best item upgrade to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the highest-quality gear you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next round of upgrades. This is particularly true for items such as trinkets and rings that take up several slots. The discount for the entire account is only applicable when all the slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.