WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boost in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also boosts an unspecified substat.
The upgraded gear typically has a greater value for trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by giving the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. However, the item that is used to upgrade will remain in use for a long time and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can be used to create Enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader every few weeks.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the item, however they'll always be less expensive than purchasing new gear. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item upgrader mod will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that can be used to improve the quality of weapons and tools, armor and other accessories. Players can purchase them from item upgraders NPCs for various currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any tool, weapon, or armor. button, which will show a preview of the item level upgrade at its next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the item slot, and the current level of the item Level upgrade. For instance, weapons will cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades give a discount on the Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Upgraders for items are available at many locations including the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and a chance to obtain an entirely new recipe. The upgrade item discount 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 start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs who can facilitate upgrades are only accessible through a variety means. This is both a positive and a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and some new features added. Once an upgrade has been completed to a specific level for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This applies regardless of whether the items are from a different set of gear.
The discount applies to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced also, but is only available after certain milestones are reached.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW players have a few choices. 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 an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1, and come in four ranks.
First, you must be aware that the crests can only be purchased for equipment that is that is of a particular rank. Each rank has an upgrade path that is different. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade requires up to 20 crests, based on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing tasks at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in all difficulties to get lower-level gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with a heroic difficulty to obtain endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade the item upgrading in the proper steps and paths.
The use of these currencies isn't that difficult, but the system will introduce a few modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it will no longer require Flightstones. This is to allow players to get their equipment up to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
Another important change is that crests only have one purpose therefore it's essential to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance it's a good idea to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests with the best gear you have available and then save Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you're planning on making. This is especially true for items like trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character which will only be able to take advantage of the discount for all accounts when all slots are filled with high-quality equipment.