WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item level upgrade by 3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
The upgraded gear typically has a higher trade value as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or very high stat variation (like Eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as valuable for those with lower requirements because of the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The Item Level Upgrade upgrader enables players to upgrade gear to a higher level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create the enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in every major city, and can be accessed at any time to upgrade your equipment. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each several weeks.
The cost of upgrades will depend on the current item level of the gear being upgraded however, they will always be cheaper than buying new equipment from other sources. For instance, upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points purchasing a similar piece from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that are used to upgrade weapons tools, armor, and other accessories. They can be purchased by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased, it can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor with the help of The button will display a preview of an item's next level of upgrade item, when there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the item slot, and the current level of the item. For example weapons are more expensive than bracers, or gloves. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain degree and is degraded, it can be sold and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currencies.
Many locations have upgraders for their items in addition to the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and the chance to obtain a new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases according to the number of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be boosted by requiring players to complete specific achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at beginning unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are only available through a variety means. This is both a benefit as well as a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade items system has been altered a bit, with some new features added. When a player has an upgrade to a specific item level for a particular armor slot, upgrading other items to that same item upgrade level will cost less even when they are part of a different gear set.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is reduced too, but it is only available when 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 during specific item level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
First, you should know that crests are only available for gear that is of a particular rank. Each rank has distinct upgrade paths. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the more complex one may require as many as 20 crests depending on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing tasks at the appropriate level. This could be by engaging in outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of all difficulties to get equipment of lower tier or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an upgrader for the item, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and routes.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, but it does bring some modifications to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it no longer requires Flightstones. This change lets players upgrade their equipment to the highest possible level for all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests in a wise manner, as they only have one use. It is best to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the highest-quality gear that you can find and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly true for items like rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character which will only be able to take advantage of the account-wide discount if all of the slots are filled with high-quality equipment.