WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you an increase in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases item level by +3. A random substat is also added to each upgrade.
Upgraded gear generally sees higher trade value regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or has a high stat variation (like Eth titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the need to roll to get a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader enables players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level upgrade level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and can be visited at any time to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks to keep your equipment up-to-date.
The cost of upgrading will vary based on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded however, they will always be cheaper than buying new equipment from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that can be used to improve the quality of weapons and tools, armor and accessories. They can be bought by players from NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased, it can be applied to any weapon or tool with an button, which displays an item's preview at its next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the item slot and the current Item level Upgrade level as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than bracers or gloves, for example. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Certain upgrades provide discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Upgraders for items are available at many locations, including the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount as well as a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount for 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 quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no upgrader for items at the start of Icewind Dale. Instead, the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades require several methods that are both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with numerous new features added. After an upgrade has been completed to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same level will cost less. This is even if the items come from another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is reduced as well, but is only available after certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
When upgrading equipment in WoW players have a couple of choices. Flightstones are an item that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are used for specific item upgrading level upgrades. Crests are an integral component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests can only be used on gear of a specific rank, and every rank has different requirements for upgrading. The simplest and simplest upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complex can require as much as 20 crests based on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through tasks at the appropriate level. This could be by doing outdoor activities, or by completing dungeons and raids in all difficulty levels to obtain lower-level gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with heroic difficulty for endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an item upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and paths.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too complicated, but the system does introduce some changes to the overall upgrade process. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This is to allow players to upgrade their equipment up to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests only have one use, so it's important to use them properly. For instance it's a good idea to utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests with the Best item upgrade gear you have available and keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan to create. This is particularly true for items such as rings and trinkets that occupy multiple slots. The account-wide discount will only apply when all slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.