WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you an increase in specific statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of the item by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
The upgraded gear typically has a more value in trade regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or has a high stat variance (like the eth titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be made on any kind of armor or weapons. However, the item that is used to upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to the enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and is accessible at any time to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended to visit the upgrader every few weeks to keep your equipment up to date.
The cost of upgrading will vary based on the current level of the item being upgraded but they will always be cheaper than buying new gear from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that are used to upgrade items weapons tools, armor, and other accessories. They can be purchased from item upgraders NPCs in a variety of currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be applied to any weapon or tool with a The button will display the preview of an item upgrader kit's next upgrade level, when there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot of the item and the current level of the item. For example weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade items costs 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of the Flightstones or crests used. Once an Item Level Upgrade is upgraded to a certain amount, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currency types.
Upgraders for items are available in many places, including the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and a chance to obtain a new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases according to the number of items that are being upgraded. It can also be boosted by requiring players to complete specific achievements or quests.
Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no upgrader for items at the beginning of Icewind Dale. Instead, the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades must be acquired through a variety of means, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was modified a bit, and numerous new features added. Once the player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level, will cost less. This is true even if the items come from another set of equipment.
The discount is available to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
Players have a number of choices when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more special, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
First, you must be aware that the crests can only be purchased for equipment with a certain rank. Each rank has a different upgrade item path. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complicated requires as many as 20 crests based on the type of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing tasks at the appropriate level. This could be by doing outdoor activities or doing dungeons or raids in all difficulties to get lower-tier gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. The crests can later be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too complicated however, the system introduces 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 no longer requires Flightstones. This is to allow players to get their equipment to the highest level possible for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests in a wise manner, as they only have one use. For instance, it's best to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the top equipment available and keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you plan on making. This is particularly applicable to items like trinkets and rings that fill multiple slots. The discount on the account is only applicable when all the slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.