WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boosts in certain statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by +3. Each upgrade also boosts a random substat.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless the item level upgrade (recent Werite blog post) has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like the eth Titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll to get a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade gear to a higher level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item that is used for the upgrade will remain in use for a long time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader once every few weeks, to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
The cost of upgrading will be based on the current Best item upgrade level of the Best item upgrader being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment from other sources. For example upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points while purchasing the same item from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that are used to improve the quality of weapons tools, armor, and other accessories. Players can purchase them 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. button, which will display an item's preview at the next upgrade level in the event that the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the slot of the item and the current item upgrades level and the weapon's price is higher than bracers or gloves, for example. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of Flightstones or the crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currency types.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items which include the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount as well as a chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrading increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players finish certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs who can facilitate upgrades are only available through a variety of methods. This is both a benefit and a disadvantage.
In Season 3, a number of new features were added to the upgrade system. When a player has an upgrade to a certain level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level will cost less, even in the event that they are part of an entirely different set of gear.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is cut too, but it is only available when certain milestones are reached.
Crests
Players have several options for upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more special, and are used during specific Best item upgrader level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1, and come 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 every rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade requires up to 20 crests, based on the type or equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that means walking around and doing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons with all difficulties for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses to obtain endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade the Best item upgrader in the proper steps and pathways.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it does bring some modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece of equipment has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it no longer requires Flightstones. This change is intended to allow players to get their gear up to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters, rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
Another significant modification is that crests have one purpose and it's crucial to make use of them in a responsible manner. It is recommended to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the top-quality equipment you can locate and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is especially relevant for rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character, that will be able to take advantage of the discount for all accounts when all slots are full of high-quality gear.