WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you boost in certain statistics. Each upgrade increases the item level by +3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless the item is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a high variance in stats (like the eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are less valuable for those with lower requirements due to the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item that is used to upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enhancements.
You can upgrade your gear anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks to keep your equipment up to date.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the item but they will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar Item Level Upgrade will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for weapon, armor, tool, and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players from NPCs of item 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 or tool with the help of The button will show the item's next level of upgrade, when there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the item slot and the current item level upgrade level and the weapon's price is higher than gloves or bracers, for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of Flightstones or the crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree and is degraded, it can be sold and sold back to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currencies.
Many locations have upgraders for their items which include the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount as well as a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader kit upgrader at beginning unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades are acquired via a variety of means that are both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was altered a bit, with several new features added. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a certain item level for a particular armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level will cost less, even if they belong to an entirely different set of gear.
The discount applies to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players reach certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading gear in WoW, players have a few options. Flightstones are an item upgrading that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item upgrader mod level upgrades. Crests are a crucial element of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be used on gear of a specific rank, and each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The most basic and straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the most complex may require as many as 20 crests based on the type of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing content at the appropriate level. This could be done by doing outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of any difficulty to earn lower-tier gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. These crests can be exchanged with an upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and paths.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too complicated, but the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade process. When a piece reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it will no longer require Flightstones. This allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest possible level for all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests have one purpose and it's crucial to use them wisely. For instance, it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the top equipment available and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan to create. This is especially relevant for items like trinkets and rings that fill multiple slots. The discount for the entire account is only applicable when all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.