WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a an increase in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless it has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as valuable for the latter because of the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapons. The item used to upgrade the item upgrade is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create the enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
The cost of upgrading will vary based on the current level of the gear being upgraded however, they will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment from other sources. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points while buying a similar item from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that can be used to level up weapons and tools, armor and other items. They can be bought by players from NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be used on any weapon or tool with a button, which will display an image of the item at the next upgrade level when the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot of the item and the current item level. For example weapons cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. Once an item upgrading is upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Many locations have upgraders for their items in addition to the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and the chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases with the number of items that are being upgraded, and can be increased by having players complete specific achievements or quests.
Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no item upgrader available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. Instead the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades are acquired via various methods which is both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3, many new features were added to the upgrade system. After an upgrade has been completed to a certain level of item level Upgrade for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level will cost less. This applies regardless of whether the items are from another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is reduced too, but it is only available once certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a few choices. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1, and come in four ranks.
First, you should know that crests are only available for gear of a certain rank. Each rank comes with a different upgrade path. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade can require up to 20 crests, contingent on the type or gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing content at the appropriate level. This could be done by engaging in outdoor activities or doing dungeons or raids in all difficulties to get equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons that have a high difficulty for gear in the endgame. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader for the item like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and routes.
The use of these currencies isn't too difficult, but the system does introduce some changes to the overall upgrade process. When a piece attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it will no longer require Flightstones. This change is designed to allow players to get their equipment to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests only have one usage therefore it's essential to use them wisely. For instance, it's a good idea use all of your Whelpling-rank crests with the best equipment available and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you're planning to create. This is especially applicable to items like trinkets and rings that fill several slots. The account-wide discount is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with top-quality gear.