WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you an increase in specific statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by 3. A random extra substat is also added to every upgrade.
The upgraded gear typically has a higher trade value as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or has a high stat variance (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades are less important for those with lower requirements because of the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. However, the item used for the upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and can't be used again. Upgrades can be used to create the enchantments.
The upgrader is located in all major cities, and can be accessed at any time to upgrade your equipment. To keep your gear current, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each few weeks.
The cost of upgrading will vary based on the current item upgrader kit level of the gear being upgraded but they will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment from other sources. For instance upgrading a Benthic chest piece to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points purchasing a similar piece from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to level up weapons, tools, armor, and other items. They are purchased by players from item upgrader NPCs 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.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot of the item and the current item level. For instance weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item upgrader kit is upgraded to a certain amount, it can be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currencies.
Upgraders for items can be found at many locations on the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be increased by requiring players to complete specific achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades are acquired via a variety of means, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with numerous new features added. After the player has upgraded to a certain level of item Level upgrade for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This is regardless of whether the items are from another set of gear.
The discount is available to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain achievement milestones.
Crests
When upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a few choices. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more special, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
The first thing to note 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 its upgrade path. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the most complex requires as many as 20 crests depending on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, dungeons or raids of all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons to obtain endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and routes.
The new currency system isn't complicated to use, but it will bring some modifications to the upgrade process. For example, once an item is at the highest upgrade level of any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change is designed to allow players to upgrade their gear up to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests with care, since they only have one use. It is recommended to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the Best item upgrade gear you can find and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next round of upgrades. This is particularly relevant for trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character, which can only be eligible to benefit from the account-wide discount if all slots are filled with high-quality gear.