WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost in specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item level upgrade by 3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless it is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like the eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are not as useful for those with higher variance due to the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapon. However, the item used for the upgrade will be consumed forever and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade item your gear at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks, to keep your equipment up to date.
The cost of upgrading will depend on the current level of the item being upgraded however, they will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment from other sources. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest up to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that are used to improve the quality of weapons tools, armor, and other items. They can be purchased by players through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for a variety of currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased, it can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor using the help of The button will display a preview of an item's next level of upgrade, if there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the item slot and the current level of the item upgrader mod as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than bracers or gloves, for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain level it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Many locations offer item upgrade upgraders which include the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon as well as the possibility of obtaining the latest recipe. The discount for upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be boosted by having players complete specific achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades are acquired via several methods, which is both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system was tweaked a bit, with numerous new features added. Once an upgrade has been completed to a specific level for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same item level, will cost less. This is even if the items come from a different set of equipment.
The discount applies to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is reduced too, but it is only available after certain milestones are reached.
Crests
When upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a few options. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
First, you should know that Crests are only available to equipment of a certain rank. Each rank has an upgrade path that is different. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, depending on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through working through content that is of the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of all difficulty for items of higher tier, or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses to obtain endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an item upgrader such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and pathways.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, but it will bring some changes to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This is to allow players to get their equipment to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters, instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests in a wise manner, as they only have one use. For instance, it's a good idea utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests on the Best item upgrade equipment available and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning to create. This is particularly relevant for 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.