WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases item upgrade level by +3. A random additional substat is also increased with each upgrade.
The upgraded gear is usually more useful, unless the item has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a high variance in stats (like the eth Titan weapons). These types of gear get 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 giving the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapon. However, the item that is used for the upgrade will be consumed forever and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create the enchantments.
The upgrader is located in all major cities, and is accessible at any time to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks, to keep your equipment up to date.
The cost of upgrades will be based on the current level of the gear being upgraded however, they will always be less expensive than buying new equipment from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items which can be used to upgrade weapons and tools, armor and other items. They can be purchased from item upgraders NPCs in a variety of currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be used on any tool, weapon or armor. The button will show 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 slot of the item and the current level of the item and the weapon's price is higher than bracers or gloves, for example. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of the Flightstones or the crests used. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain level and is degraded, it can be sold and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currencies.
Many locations offer item upgraders, including the main Island and a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases with the number of items that are being upgraded, and can 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 are able to facilitate upgrades are only available via a variety of ways. This is both a benefit as well as an issue.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and several new features added. When a player has an upgrade to a certain item level for a particular armor slot, upgrading other items to that same item level will be less expensive, even in the event that they are part of another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is reduced too, but it is only available when certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
Players have several options when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more special, and are used during specific item Level upgrade level upgrades. Crests are an integral part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that the crests can only be purchased for equipment that is with a certain rank. Each rank comes with distinct upgrade paths. The simplest and simplest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, based on the type or equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing content of the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons with all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons to obtain endgame gear. Crests can be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
The new currency system isn't complicated to use, however it will bring some changes to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it will no longer require Flightstones. This change lets players upgrade their gear to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another important change is that crests have one usage and it's crucial to use them properly. It's Best item upgrade to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the highest-quality gear that you can find, and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly applicable to trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character that will be able to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are filled with top-quality gear.