WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item upgrader mod by +3. A random additional substat is also increased with each upgrade.
The more modernized gear generally 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 not as important for those with higher variance due to the need to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be made on any kind of armor or weapons. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and can be visited at any time to upgrade your equipment. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every few weeks.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the level of the item however, they are always cheaper than buying new equipment. For example upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points, purchasing a similar piece from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase weapon, armor, tool, and accessory upgrades. They can be bought by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for different currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor with a The button will show the preview of an item's next upgrade level if there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot for the Item Level Upgrade and the current item level. For example weapons cost more than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item upgrades has been upgraded to a certain amount, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currency types.
Many locations have upgraders for their items in addition to the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon as well as the possibility of getting an entirely new recipe. The discount on upgrades increases as more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only accessible via a variety of ways. This is both a positive and an issue.
In Season 3, a number of new features have been added to the upgrade system. Once an upgrade has been completed to a certain level of item for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same item upgrader mod level, will cost less. This applies even if the items are from a different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced as well, but is only available when certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have a number of choices when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial element of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that the crests can only be purchased for equipment that is with a certain rank. Each rank has distinct upgrade paths. The simplest and simplest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, contingent on the type or equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through content that is of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons of all difficulty for items of higher tier or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for gear that is used in the endgame. The crests can later be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
Using these new currencies isn't too complicated, but the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade process. For instance, when 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 intended to allow players to get their gear up to the highest ilvl possible for all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
Another significant change is that crests only have one purpose and it's crucial to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests with the best equipment you have, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan to create. This is particularly relevant for items like rings and trinkets that occupy multiple slots. The discount for the entire account will only apply when all slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.