WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a an increase in specific stats. Each upgrade item boosts the level of an item by 3. A random additional substat is also increased with each upgrade.
The more modernized gear generally has a greater value for trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or a very high stat variation (like the eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as important for the latter due to the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by giving the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapon. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create Enchantments.
The upgrader is located in every major city, 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 will cost more, based on the level of the item, however, they are always cheaper than purchasing new gear. For instance upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points while buying a similar item from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items which can be used to level up weapons tools, armor, and other items. They are purchased by players through item upgrader NPCs in exchange for various currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor with an The button will display a preview of an item's next upgrade level in the event that there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the item Level upgrade slot and the current item level as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than gloves or bracers for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of the Flightstones or the crests used. After an item has been upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower price.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items in addition to the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and the possibility of getting the latest recipe. The discount for upgrading increases when more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete certain achievements or quests.
Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no upgrader for items in the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who can facilitate upgrades are only available through a variety of methods. This is both a positive and a disadvantage.
In Season 3, several new features were added to the upgrade system. Once a player obtains an upgrade items to a specific level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading further items to that level will cost less even when they belong to a different gear set.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players reach certain achievement milestones.
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 utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an important element of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests can only be spent on gear of a specific rank, and each rank has its own requirements for upgrading. The simplest and easiest upgrade item costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, contingent on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing tasks at the appropriate level. This could be done by doing outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of any difficulty to earn equipment of lower tier or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with a heroic difficulty to obtain endgame gear. Crests can be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
Using these new currencies isn't too difficult, but the system introduces some modifications to the upgrade process. For example, once an item upgrades is at the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't need Flightstones to be upgraded. This change allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests wisely, as they have only one purpose. For instance it's a good idea make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests with the best gear you have available and keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you plan on making. This is particularly applicable to trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character which will only be able to benefit from the account-wide discount if all slots are filled with top-quality gear.