WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you boosts in certain statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item upgrade by +3. Each upgrade also boosts the random substatus.
The more modernized gear generally has a greater value for trade regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or a very high stat variation (like the eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as valuable for the latter due to the need to roll the perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapons. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create the enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks to keep your equipment up-to-date.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the level of the item, but they will always be cheaper than buying new equipment. For instance upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points, while purchasing the same item from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to level up weapons and tools, armor and other accessories. Players can purchase them from NPCs of item upgrading upgraders in a variety of currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor. button, which displays an image of the item at its next upgrade item level if the player has sufficient materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot for the item and the current item level. For example weapons cost more than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with some upgrades having a discount to lower the cost of Flightstones or crests used. Once an item upgrader kit has been upgraded to a certain amount it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Upgraders for items can be found in many places on the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and a possibility of getting a new recipe. The discount on upgrades increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.
In contrast to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no upgrader for items at the start of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are only available through a variety means. This is both a positive and a drawback.
In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade system. 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 even if the items come from an entirely different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced as well, but is only available once certain milestones are reached.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW, players have a variety of options. Flightstones are an item that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an important element of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests are only available for equipment with a certain rank. Each rank has an upgrade path that is different. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the most complicated may require as many as 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 doing dungeons or raids in any difficulty to earn lower-level gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with heroic difficulty to obtain endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an Item Level Upgrade upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and paths.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, however it brings some changes to the upgrade process. For example, once an item is at the highest upgrade level of any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl on all of their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests have one use therefore it's essential to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance it's a good idea to utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests on the best equipment you have, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you plan to make. This is particularly relevant for rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character which can only be eligible to avail the account-wide discount when all of the slots are filled with top-quality gear.