WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boost in specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by 3. A random additional substat is also increased with every upgrade.
The upgraded gear is usually more useful, unless the item upgrades is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like Eth Titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as important for those with lower requirements due to the requirement to roll the perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be made on any type of weapon or armor. However, the item used to upgrade will remain in use for a long time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and can be visited at any time to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended to visit the upgrader once every couple of weeks to keep your equipment up-to-date.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the item level, however they'll always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade weapon, armor, tool, and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners in a variety of currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any weapon, tool or armor. The button will show a preview of an item level Upgrade's next upgrade level if there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot for the item and the current item level. For instance, weapons will cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Certain upgrades provide a discount on the Flightstones. After an item upgrader kit has been upgraded to a certain level it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Upgraders for items are available at many locations including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade item recipe. The discount for upgrading increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are available only through a variety of methods. This is both a benefit and a drawback.
In Season 3, a number of new features were added to the upgrade system. After an upgrade items has been completed 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 discount is available to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced as well, but is only available once certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have several options for upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests are only able to be spent on gear of a specific rank, and each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the most complex can require as much as 20 crests, based on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing tasks at the appropriate level. This could be done by engaging in outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in any difficulty to earn equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons that have a high difficulty for gear in the endgame. These crests are then exchanged with an item upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and paths.
Using these new currencies isn't that difficult, but the system will introduce a few changes to the overall upgrade process. For instance, when an item is at the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't need Flightstones to be upgraded. This is to allow players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable modification is that crests have one purpose therefore it's essential to use them properly. For instance it's a good idea utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests on the best gear you have available and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning on making. This is particularly relevant for items like trinkets and rings that fill several slots. The discount on the account will only be applicable if all slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.