WoW Upgrades - The item upgrading Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boost in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also boosts the random substatus.
Upgraded gear generally sees more value in trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or a very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades are not as valuable for those with higher variance due to the requirement to roll the perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader enables players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item that is used for the upgrade items will be consumed forever and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to Enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and can be visited anytime to upgrade your gear. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader once every couple of weeks to ensure that your equipment is up-to-date.
The cost of upgrading will be based on the current item level of the item being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than buying new equipment from other sources. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items which can be used to improve the quality of weapons tools, armor, and accessories. They can be purchased by players from NPCs of item upgraders for a variety of currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be applied to any weapon or tool using a button, which will display a preview of the Item Upgrader Kit at the next upgrade level when the player has enough materials.
The upgrade cost depends on the item slot and the current item level as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than gloves or bracers, for instance. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Certain upgrades provide discounts on Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain level it is able to be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currency types.
Upgraders for items are available in a variety of locations, including the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon as well as the chance to obtain a new recipe. The discount for upgrading increases when more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II, there is no upgrader for items at the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who can facilitate upgrades are available only through a variety means. This is both a benefit and a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system was modified a bit, and numerous new features added. Once an upgrade has been completed to a certain item upgrades level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same level will cost less. This is regardless of whether the items come from an entirely different set of gear.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is cut also, but is only available once certain milestones are reached.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW players have a few choices. They can choose to use Flightstones that are a common upgrade currency that is available to everyone players, or crests that are more specialized and consumed during upgrades at specific item levels. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be used to purchase equipment of a particular rank, and every rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, depending on the type of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through working through content that is of the appropriate level, whether that means walking around and doing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons with any difficulty for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for endgame gear. These crests can then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
The use of these currencies isn't too complicated, but the system does introduce some modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece of equipment attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it will no longer require Flightstones. This change is designed to allow players to get their gear up to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests with care, since they only have one use. For instance, it's best to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests with the best equipment you have, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you plan to create. This is particularly relevant for items like trinkets and rings that fill multiple slots. The discount for the entire account is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.