WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you an increase in certain statistics. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. A random substat is also boosted alongside each upgrade.
The more modernized gear generally has a higher trade value as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or a very high stat variance (like the eth titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the need to roll to get a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to Enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and can be accessed at any time to upgrade your gear. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader at least once every couple of weeks to keep your equipment up to date.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the item however they'll always be cheaper than purchasing new gear. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item Level Upgrade will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase tools, armor, weapon, and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players from NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be used on any tool, weapon or armor. The button will show the preview of an item's next upgrade level if there are enough materials.
upgrade items costs vary depending on the item slot, and the current item level. For example weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Item upgraders can be found in many places including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount as well as a chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be increased by having players complete some specific achievements or complete quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II, there is no upgrader for items available at the start of Icewind Dale. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only available through a variety means. This is both a benefit as well as an issue.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was altered a bit, with some new features added. After a player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item upgrade level will cost less. This is even if those items come from a different set of equipment.
The discount applies to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is cut as well, but is only available once certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have several options for upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specialized, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1 and are available in 4 ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be used to purchase gear of a specific rank, and that each rank has different requirements for upgrading. The most basic and straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the most complicated requires as many as 20 crests depending on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons with all difficulty for items of higher tier, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons to obtain endgame gear. These crests can then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
Using these new currencies isn't too difficult, but the system does introduce some changes to the overall upgrade process. Once a piece of gear has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it will no longer require Flightstones. This change lets players upgrade their gear to the highest level possible for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests wisely, as they only have one use. It is best to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the highest-quality gear that you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly applicable to rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character that will be able to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all slots are full of high-quality equipment.