WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of the item level upgrade - a knockout post - by +3. Each upgrade also boosts an unspecified substat.
The more modernized gear generally has a more value in trade regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variance (like the eth titan weapons). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be made on any type of armor or weapons. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to the enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader each several weeks.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the item level, but they will always be cheaper than purchasing new gear. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest piece to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points while purchasing the same item from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade tools, armor, weapon, and accessory upgrades. They are purchased by players from NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any weapon, tool, or armor. The button will display the preview of an item's next upgrade level in the event that there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot for the item and the current item level. For example weapons cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades give a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain level it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Many locations offer item upgraders which include the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount as well as a chance to acquire a new upgrade 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 through a variety means. This is both a positive and a drawback.
In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade system. Once an upgrade has been completed to a certain level of item for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This is true even if those items come from another set of equipment.
The discount is available to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
Players have a variety of options for upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
First, you should know that the crests can only be purchased for gear of a certain rank. Each rank comes with an upgrade path that is different. The simplest and easiest upgrade items is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, depending on the kind of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that means walking around and doing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons with all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for endgame gear. Crests can be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, but it will bring some changes to the process of upgrading. For instance, when a piece of equipment reaches the highest upgrade level of any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change is designed to allow players to get their equipment up to the highest level possible for all their characters instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests in a wise manner, as they have only one purpose. It's Best item upgrade to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the highest-quality gear you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is especially true for items such as trinkets and rings that fill several slots. The discount for the entire account will only apply when all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.