WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boost in specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the item level by +3. Each upgrade items also increases the random substatus.
The more modernized gear generally has a greater value for trade as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variance (like Eth titan weapons). Upgrades are less useful for those with higher variance because of the requirement to roll the perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item that is used for the upgrade will be consumed forever and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can be used to create the enchantments.
The upgrader is located in all major cities, and is accessible at any time to upgrade your gear. To keep your gear up-to-date, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks.
The cost of upgrades will depend on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than buying new equipment from other sources. For instance, upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points, while purchasing the same item from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for weapon, armor, tool, and accessory upgrades. Players can purchase them from NPCs of Item level upgrade upgraders in a variety of currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased, it can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor with an button, which will display an image of the item at its next upgrade level in the event that the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the slot of the item upgrading and current item level as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than gloves or bracers, for example. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Item upgraders can be found in a variety of locations on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and the chance to obtain a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrading increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no upgrader for items available at the start of Icewind Dale. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only available via a variety of ways. This is both a benefit and an issue.
In Season 3, a number of new features were added to the upgrade system. After a player has upgraded to a specific level 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 discount is applicable to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is reduced as well, but is only available after certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
When upgrading equipment in WoW players have a couple of choices. Flightstones are an item upgrades that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests can only be used to purchase equipment of a particular rank, and every rank has different requirements for upgrading. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the more complex one may require as many as 20 crests, based on the kind of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that means walking around and doing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons of any difficulty for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. Crests can be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too complicated however, the system will introduce a few changes to the overall upgrade process. For instance, when a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This is to allow players to get their gear up to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another significant change is that crests have one use and it's crucial to use them wisely. It's best to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the top-quality equipment you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly true for items like rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character, which can only be eligible to avail the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are full of high-quality equipment.