WoW Upgrades - The item upgrades Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item upgrader mod by +3. Each upgrade also boosts an unspecified substat.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless the item has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like eth Titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as useful for those with lower requirements because of the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to Enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks, to ensure that your equipment is up-to-date.
The cost of upgrading will be based on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded, but will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment from other sources. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item upgrade will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that can be used to level up weapons tools, armor, and other items. They can be purchased by players from NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any tool, weapon, or armor. button, which will show an item's preview 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 instance weapons cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain amount and is degraded, it can be sold and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currencies.
Item upgraders can be found in a variety of locations, including the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon as well as the chance to obtain the latest recipe. The upgrade discount increases as more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. Instead, the NPCs that can be used to upgrade must be acquired through a variety of means that are both an improvement but also a drawback.
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 specific level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading additional items to the same level will cost less, even if they belong to another set of gear.
The discount applies to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is reduced too, but it is only available once certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW players have a couple of options. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific, and are used during specific item level Upgrade level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.
First, you must be aware that Crests are only available to equipment that is that is of a particular rank. Each rank comes with distinct upgrade paths. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, based on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by completing content of the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons with all difficulty for items of higher tier or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for endgame gear. These crests can then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too difficult, but the system does introduce some changes to the overall upgrade process. Once a piece of gear attains the highest level of upgrade item for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change is designed to allow players to upgrade their equipment to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters, rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests in a wise manner, as they only have one use. It is best to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the highest-quality gear that you can find and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly true for items such as trinkets and rings that take up multiple slots. The discount on the account is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.