WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boost in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. A random extra substat is also boosted alongside every upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless it has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like the eth Titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for 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 type of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enhancements.
The upgrader can be found in every major city, and can be accessed anytime to upgrade your gear. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every couple of weeks to ensure that your equipment is up-to-date.
Upgrades will cost more depending on the item level, however, they are always less expensive than purchasing new gear. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that can be used to upgrade item weapons and tools, armor and other accessories. They are purchased by players through NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor. The button will display the item's next upgrade level when there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot of the item level upgrade and the current item level. For instance weapons are more expensive than bracers, or gloves. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain level, it can be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currencies.
Upgraders for items are available in many places, including the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and a chance to obtain a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players complete certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only available through a variety means. This is both a positive and an issue.
In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade system. After a player has earned an upgrade to a particular item upgrader mod level for a particular armor slot, upgrading other items to that same item level upgrade level will cost less even if they are part of an entirely different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is cut as well, but is only available after certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have a variety of options for upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1 and are available in 4 ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests are only available for equipment that is of a certain rank. Each rank comes with distinct upgrade paths. The simplest and simplest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade can require up to 20 crests, contingent on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by working through content that is 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 for gear that is used in the endgame. Crests can be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it does bring some changes to the upgrade process. For instance, once an item is at the highest upgrade level of any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it won't need Flightstones to be upgraded. This change lets players upgrade their gear to the highest level possible on all of their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests in a wise manner, as they only have one use. It is Best item upgrader 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 especially relevant for rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character, that will be able to avail the discount for all accounts when all slots are filled with high-quality gear.