WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of the item by +3. A random substat is also increased with each upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more useful, unless the item has low requirements 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 because of the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item upgrading is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create the enchantments.
The upgrader is located in all major cities and can be visited anytime to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks, to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current item level upgrade level of the gear being upgraded but they will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment from other sources. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points while buying a similar item from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items which can be used to level up weapons, tools, armor, and other accessories. They can be purchased by players through NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for different currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade item is able to be used on any weapon, tool or armor. button, which will display an item's preview at its next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.
The upgrade cost depends on the item slot and the current level of the item upgrader kit, with weapons costing more than bracers or gloves, for instance. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Certain upgrades provide a discount on the Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lower amount of the two currencies.
Upgraders for items are available in a variety of locations on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon and the chance to obtain the latest recipe. The upgrade discount increases as more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are only available via a variety of ways. This is both a positive and a disadvantage.
In Season 3, a number of new features were added to the upgrade system. When a player has an upgrade to a certain level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading additional items to that same item level will cost less, even when they belong to an entirely different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required to upgrade is reduced and the discount is affixed to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players reach certain achievement milestones.
Crests
Players have a number of options when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specialized, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests can only be used to purchase equipment that is of a particular rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for upgrading. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, depending on the type of gear being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by working through content that is of the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons with any difficulty for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons to obtain endgame gear. Crests can 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 brings some modifications to the upgrade process. For example, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests wisely, as they only have one use. For instance, it's a good idea use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the best equipment you have, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning on making. This is particularly applicable to items like trinkets and rings that take up multiple slots. The discount on the account will only apply when all slots on the character are filled with high-quality gear.