WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also increases the random substatus.
The more modernized gear generally has a greater value for trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or very high stat variation (like Eth titan weapons). Upgrades are less important for the latter due to the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader enables players to upgrade their gear to a higher item upgrader mod level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be made on any kind of weapon or armor. 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 every major city, and is accessible at any time to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended to visit the upgrader every few weeks to keep your equipment up-to-date.
The cost of upgrades will be based on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded however, they 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 another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that can be used to upgrade items weapons tools, armor, and other items. They are purchased by players from NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor. button, which will show an Item Level Upgrade's preview at the next upgrade level when the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot of the item and the current level of the item upgrade. For instance, weapons will cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with certain upgrades having a discount to lower the cost of the Flightstones or the crests used. After 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 the two currencies.
Item upgraders can be found in many places on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and a possibility of getting an entirely new recipe. The upgrade discount increases according to the number of items being upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete specific achievements or quests.
Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no upgrader for items available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only accessible through a variety means. This is both a benefit as well as a drawback.
In Season 3, many new features were added to the upgrade system. Once an upgrade has been completed to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level, will cost less. This applies regardless of whether the items are from an entirely different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones needed to upgrade is reduced and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a couple of choices. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
First, you must be aware that Crests are only available to equipment that is that is of a particular rank. Each rank comes with distinct upgrade paths. The most basic and straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the most complicated requires as many as 20 crests, based on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing content at the appropriate level. This could be done by engaging in outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in all difficulty levels to obtain equipment of lower tier or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons that have a high difficulty to obtain endgame gear. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
The use of these currencies isn't too difficult however, the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade process. For instance, once an item is at the highest level of upgrade 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 upgrade items their equipment to the highest ilvl possible for all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests wisely, as they have only one purpose. For instance, it's a good idea to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests with the best equipment you have, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you plan to create. This is especially true for items like rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character that will be able to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all slots are full of high-quality gear.