WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by +3. Each upgrade also boosts an unspecified substat.
Upgraded gear generally sees greater value for trade regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or has a high stat variation (like Eth titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll to get a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item used to upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to the enchantments.
The upgrader is located in all major cities and can be visited at any time to upgrade your gear. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each few weeks.
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. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase tools, armor, weapon, and accessory upgrades. They can be bought by players through NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for various currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any weapon, tool or armor. The button will display 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 upgrades level upgrade (that guy) slot and the current item level and the weapon's price is higher than gloves or bracers, for example. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree, it can be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currency types.
Many locations offer item upgraders, including the main Island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade items recipe. The discount on upgrades increases according to 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 item upgrader at the start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. The NPCs who can facilitate upgrades are only accessible through a variety means. This is both a benefit and an issue.
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 for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same item level will cost less. This is true even if the items are from a different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones needed to upgrade is reduced and the discount is affixed to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players reach certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
Players have a variety of options for upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more special and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1, and come in four ranks.
First, you must be aware that the crests can only be purchased for gear that is of a particular rank. Each rank has distinct upgrade paths. The simplest and simplest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, based on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through tasks at the appropriate level. This could mean engaging in outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in any difficulty to earn lower-tier gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons that have a high difficulty for gear in the endgame. The crests can later be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too complicated, but the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade process. 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 change lets players upgrade their gear to the highest possible level on all of their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another important modification is that crests have one usage and it's crucial to make use of them in a responsible manner. It's Best item upgrade to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the Best item upgrader gear that you can find and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly applicable to items like trinkets and rings that fill multiple slots. The discount on the account will only apply when all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality gear.