WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of the item by +3. A random additional substat is also increased with every upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless it has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like Eth Titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader kit upgrader enables players to upgrade gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear current, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every several weeks.
The cost of upgrading will depend on the current level of the item being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than buying new equipment from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items which can be used to upgrade weapons, tools, armor, and other items. They are purchased by players through NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for different currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor. The button will show the item's next upgrade level if there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the slot of the item and current item level as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than bracers or gloves, for example. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currencies.
Upgraders for items are available in many places on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount as well as a chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players complete certain achievements or quests.
Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no Item level Upgrade upgrader available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only accessible via a variety of ways. This is both a benefit as well as a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system was modified a bit, and several new features added. After the player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This is true even if those items come from a different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required to upgrade is reduced and the discount is account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is cut also, but is only available after certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have a number of options when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are used for specific item upgrade level upgrades. Crests are an integral component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be used to purchase equipment that is of a particular rank, and that each rank has different requirements for upgrading. The simplest and simplest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade requires up to 20 crests, depending on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, which means walking around and doing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons of all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for endgame gear. 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 pathways.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, but it brings some changes to the upgrade process. For instance, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change lets players upgrade their equipment to the highest level possible on all of their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests have one purpose and it's crucial to use them properly. For instance, it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the top equipment available, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you plan on making. This is particularly applicable to items like rings and trinkets that occupy multiple slots. The discount on the account will only apply when all slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.