WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you an increase in certain stats. Each upgrade increases item level by 3. Each upgrade also boosts the random substatus.
Upgraded gear generally sees greater value for trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variance (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as important for those with lower requirements because of the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapons. The item used to upgrade the item level upgrade (hyperlink) 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 anytime to upgrade your gear. It is recommended to visit the upgrader every few weeks to keep your equipment up to date.
The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current item upgrader kit level of the item being upgraded but they will always be cheaper than buying new gear 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 functional items that are used to level up weapons and tools, armor and other accessories. Players can purchase them through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for a variety of currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor. button, which will show an item's preview when it is upgraded in the event that the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the item slot and the current level of the item as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than gloves or bracers, for instance. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain amount, it can be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currency types.
Upgraders for items can be found in many places, including the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased if 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. Instead the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades must be acquired through a variety of means, which is both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3, several new features were added to the upgrade system. Once a player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item upgrader kit level, will cost less. This is regardless of whether the items are from another set of equipment.
The discount is available to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is cut as well, but is only available after certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
Players have a number of options when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more special and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests can only be spent on equipment that is of a particular rank, and each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, contingent on the type or equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons with all difficulty for items of higher tier or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it will bring some changes to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change is intended to allow players to get their equipment to the highest level possible on all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests in a wise manner, as they are only used for one purpose. For instance it's a good idea to utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests with the Best item upgrade equipment you have and save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning on making. This is particularly applicable to items like rings and trinkets that occupy multiple slots. The discount for the entire account is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with high-quality gear.