WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you an increase in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases item level by +3. A random substat is also added to every upgrade.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless the item has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as useful for the latter due to the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader enables players to upgrade 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. However, the item used to upgrade will remain in use for a long time and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create the 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 you visit the upgrader each several weeks.
The cost of upgrading will depend on the current level of the item being upgraded but they will always be less expensive than purchasing new gear from other sources. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points, while buying a similar Item Level upgrade from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for tools, armor, weapon and accessory upgrades. They can be bought by players through NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be used on any tool, weapon, or armor. button, which will display a preview of the item when it is upgraded in the event that the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot for the item upgrade and the current level of the item upgrading. For instance weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Certain upgrades provide a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower price.
Item upgraders can be found in a variety of locations on the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon and the chance to obtain a new recipe. The upgrade discount increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no upgrader for items available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are only available through a variety means. This is both a benefit as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, a number of new features were added to the upgrade system. When a player has an upgrade to a certain item level for a particular armor slot, upgrading additional items to that level will be less expensive, even if they are part of another set of gear.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players reach certain achievement milestones.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW players have a few choices. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more special, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests can only be used on equipment that is of a particular rank, and that each rank has different requirements for upgrading. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade requires up to 20 crests, depending on the kind of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing content of the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons of all difficulty for items of higher tier, or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses to obtain endgame gear. These crests can be exchanged with an upgrader for the item like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and paths.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, but it does bring some modifications to the upgrade process. For example, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrade items for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change is intended to allow players to upgrade their gear up to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters, rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests in a wise manner, as they only have one use. It is best to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the best gear you can locate, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next round of upgrades. This is particularly relevant for items like rings and trinkets that occupy several slots. The account-wide discount will only apply when all the slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.