WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of the item by +3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.
The upgraded gear is usually more useful, unless the item has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like the eth Titan weapons). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The item level upgrade (visit 1v 34 now >>>) upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapon. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.
The upgrader is located in all major cities, and can be accessed at any time to upgrade your gear. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader once every few weeks to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
The cost of upgrading will depend on the current level of the equipment being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than buying new equipment from other sources. For instance, upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points while purchasing the same item from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade weapon, armor, tool, and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players from NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor using the help of button, which will show an image of the item when it is upgraded if the player has sufficient materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot of the item and the current level of the item. For example, weapons will cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level and is degraded, it can be sold and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currencies.
Many locations have upgraders for their items in addition to the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon as well as the chance to obtain the latest recipe. The discount for upgrades increases according to the number of items being upgraded. It is also possible to be boosted by having players complete some specific achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades are acquired via several methods, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system was modified a bit, and numerous new features added. After a player has upgraded to a certain level of item upgrade for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level, will cost less. This is true even if the items come from another set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones needed to upgrade 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 achieve certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading gear in WoW players have a couple of options. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more special and are used for specific item 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 note is that crests can only be spent on equipment that is of a particular rank, and each rank has its own requirements for upgrading. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the most complex can require as much as 20 crests based on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by working through content that is of the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons of all difficulty for items of higher tier or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrade upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too complicated, but the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade items process. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it no longer requires Flightstones. This change allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest possible level on all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another significant change is that crests have one use therefore it's essential to use them properly. It's best to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the best gear you can find and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly true for items such as trinkets and rings that take up multiple slots. The discount on the account will only be applicable if all slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.