WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of the item by +3. A random additional substat is also increased with each upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless it is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like the eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are not as useful for those with higher variance due to the need to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by giving the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. However, the item used for the upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create the enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in every major city, and is accessible anytime to upgrade your equipment. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader every several weeks.
The cost of upgrading will depend on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded, but will always be cheaper than purchasing new gear from other sources. For example upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl 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 improve the quality of weapons tools, armor, and other accessories. They can be bought by players from item upgrades upgrader NPCs in exchange for a variety of currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor with the help of button, which will display an item level upgrade (visit the up coming article)'s preview at its next upgrade level in the event that the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot of the item and the current level of the item. For instance, weapons will cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with certain upgrades having a discount to reduce the cost of Flightstones or crests that are used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Upgraders for items can be found in a variety of locations including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon as well as the chance to obtain the latest recipe. The discount on upgrades increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players finish certain achievements or quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no item upgrader available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. Instead the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades must be acquired through various methods which is both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, a number of new features were added to the upgrade system. After an upgrade has been completed to a certain item level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level will cost less. This is even if the items come from another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones needed to upgrade is reduced and the discount is affixed to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players reach certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW players have a few choices. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item upgrade level upgrades. Crests are a crucial part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests can only be used to purchase gear of a specific rank, and that each rank has different requirements for upgrading. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade can require up to 20 crests, based on the type of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level. This could be done by doing outdoor activities, or by taking on dungeons and raids of any difficulty to earn equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons with heroic difficulty to obtain endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an item upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and paths.
Using these new currencies isn't too complicated however, the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade process. For instance, when an item reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change is intended to allow players to upgrade their equipment up to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests only have one usage and it's crucial to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance it's a good idea make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests with the Best item upgrade gear you have available, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you plan to create. This is especially applicable to items like trinkets and rings that take up multiple slots. The discount on the account will only be applicable if all slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.