WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boost in certain stats. Each upgrade increases Best item upgrade level by +3. A random substat is also increased with each upgrade.
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 variation (like eth titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the necessity to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any kind of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item level upgrade will be consumed and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear up-to-date, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks.
The cost of upgrading will be based on the current level of the gear being upgraded but they will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment from other sources. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points purchasing a similar piece from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that can be used to improve the quality of weapons, tools, armor, and other items. They can be purchased by players from NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be used on any tool, weapon or armor. button, which will show an item's preview at the next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.
upgrade items costs differ based on the item slot, and the current level of the item. For example weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the 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 both currencies.
Many locations offer Item Level upgrade upgraders, including the main Island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire 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.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades must be acquired through several methods, which is both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and several new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a certain level for an item level upgrade in an armor slot, upgrading other items to that same item level will be less expensive, even in the event that they are part of an entirely different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is cut too, but it is only available once certain milestones are reached.
Crests
Players have a variety of options for upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specialized and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial element of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
First, you should know that the crests can only be purchased for gear with a certain rank. Each rank comes with distinct upgrade paths. 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 through completing content of the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons with all difficulties for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests are then exchanged with an item upgrader such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and routes.
The new currency system isn't complicated to use, however it brings some changes to the process of upgrading. When a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest level possible on all of their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests in a wise manner, as they only have one use. For instance, it's a good idea make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the top equipment you have, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you're planning to make. This is especially true for items like rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character, that will be able to benefit from the account-wide discount if all of the slots are filled with top-quality equipment.