WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the item level by +3. A random additional substat is also boosted alongside each upgrade.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless it is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a high variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are not as valuable for those with higher variance because of the requirement to roll the perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapons. However, the item used to upgrade will remain in use for a long time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in all major cities and is accessible anytime to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks to keep your equipment up to date.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the Item Level Upgrade but they will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment. For example, upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points, while buying a similar item from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for tools, armor, weapon, and accessory upgrades. They are purchased by players from NPCs that sell upgrades to 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. The button will show a preview of an item's next upgrade level, if there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the slot of the item and the current item level, with weapons costing more than gloves or bracers for instance. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currency types.
Upgraders for items can be found in a variety of locations, including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and a chance to obtain an entirely new recipe. The upgrade discount 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 require various methods which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, a number of new features have been added to the upgrade system. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a particular level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading further items to that level will cost less, even if they are part of another set of gear.
The discount is available to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players reach certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW players have a variety of options. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial element of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
First, you should know that the crests can only be purchased for equipment that is of a particular rank. Each rank comes with an upgrade path that is different. The most basic and straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the most complex may require as many as 20 crests, based on the type of gear that is 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 of all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests are then exchanged with an item upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and paths.
The use of these currencies isn't that difficult however, the system does introduce some modifications to the upgrade items process. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it will no longer require Flightstones. This change allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest possible level for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests in a wise manner, as they have only one purpose. For instance it's a good idea use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the Best item upgrader gear you have available and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning to create. This is particularly applicable to items like 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 high-quality equipment.