WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you boost in certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of the item by +3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless the item is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the necessity to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade gear to a higher item level upgrade level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be made on any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item used to upgrade will remain in use for a long time and can't 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. It is recommended to visit the upgrader once every few weeks, to ensure that your equipment is up-to-date.
The cost of upgrades will be based on the current level of the gear being upgraded however, they will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment from other sources. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest up to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade weapons, armor, tools, and accessory upgrades. They can be bought by players through NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor using a The button will show the item level upgrade's next level of upgrade, in the event that there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the slot of the item upgrader Kit and the current item level, with weapons costing more than gloves or bracers, for instance. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Certain upgrades provide discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currencies.
Many locations have upgraders for their items, including the main Island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases when more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades must be acquired through several methods that are both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with numerous new features added. Once a player obtains 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 in the event that they belong to another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is account-wide. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players have reached certain achievement milestones.
Crests
Players have a variety of options when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more special, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests can only be used to purchase gear of a specific rank, and each rank has different requirements for upgrading. The most basic and straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complicated can require as much as 20 crests, based on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level. This could be done by doing outdoor activities, or by doing dungeons or raids in all difficulty levels to obtain lower-tier gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for endgame gear. Crests can be exchanged at an upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, however it brings some modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't need Flightstones to be upgraded. This change is intended to allow players to get their equipment up to the highest ilvl possible for all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests with care, since they have only one purpose. For instance, it's a good idea to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests with the Best item upgrade equipment you have, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning on making. This is particularly relevant for rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character, which can only be eligible to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all slots are full of high-quality gear.