WoW Upgrades - The item level upgrade Upgrader
Upgrades can give you an increase in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases the level of the item upgrade by +3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.
The upgraded gear typically has a higher trade value as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or a very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades are not as valuable for the latter due to the requirement to roll the perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader enables players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create the enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks, to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the item, but they will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items which can be used to upgrade weapons tools, armor, and other accessories. They can be purchased by players from NPCs of item upgrading upgraders for various currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor with the help of button, which will show an item's preview at the next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot of the item upgrading and the current item level. For instance, weapons will cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain amount and is degraded, it can be sold and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of the two currencies.
Upgraders for items can be found at many locations on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount as well as a chance to obtain a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the beginning, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. The NPCs who can facilitate upgrades are available only through a variety of methods. This is both a benefit as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, a number of new features have been added to the upgrade system. After the player has upgraded 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 another set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is account-wide. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players reach certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
Players have a number of choices when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific, and are used during 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.
The first thing to remember is that crests are only available for equipment with a certain rank. Each rank has a different upgrade path. The simplest and simplest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade requires up to 20 crests, based on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that means walking around and doing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of all difficulty for items of higher tier, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests are then exchanged with an item upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken to upgrade the item upgrades in the proper steps and routes.
The use of these currencies isn't too complicated, but the system introduces some modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it no longer requires Flightstones. This is to allow players to upgrade their gear up to the highest level possible on all their characters, instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests wisely, as they are only used for one purpose. For instance, it's a good idea to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the best equipment you have and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you plan to make. This is especially relevant for trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character that will be able to benefit from the account-wide discount when all of the slots are filled with high-quality gear.