WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you an increase in specific stats. Each upgrade increases item level by +3. Each upgrade also boosts a random substat.
Upgraded gear is generally more useful, unless the item has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a high variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as valuable for those with lower requirements because of the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. The item level upgrade used to upgrade the item will be consumed and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in every major city, and can be accessed anytime to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks, to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current level of the item being upgraded however, they will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items which can be used to upgrade weapons, tools, armor, and accessories. They are purchased by players through item upgrader NPCs in exchange for various 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 image of the Item Level upgrade at the next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the item slot, and the current item level. For example weapons are more expensive than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with certain upgrades having a discount to lower the cost of Flightstones or the crests used. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain degree it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Upgraders for items can be found in a variety of locations on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon as well as the chance to obtain an entirely new recipe. The upgrade discount increases according to the number of items that are being upgraded, and can be increased by requiring players to complete specific achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades require various methods, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and some new features added. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a certain level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading other items to that same item upgrader mod level will cost less even if they belong to another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is cut also, but is only available when certain milestones are reached.
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 special and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests are only able to be used on equipment of a particular rank, and each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and simplest upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complex can require as much as 20 crests based on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through content that is of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. Crests can be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
Using these new currencies isn't too complicated, but the system will introduce a few modifications to the upgrade process. For example, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This is to allow players to get their gear up to the highest level possible on all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another important modification is that crests have one use, so it's important to use them properly. For instance, it's best to utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests with the Best item upgrade gear you have available and keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you plan to make. This is especially applicable to items like rings and trinkets that occupy multiple slots. The discount on the account will only apply when all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality gear.