WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boost in certain statistics. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by +3. A random substat is also boosted alongside each upgrade.
Upgraded gear generally sees higher trade value regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or a very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as useful for those with higher variance due to the need to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader enables players to upgrade gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.
The upgrader is located in all major cities and is accessible anytime to upgrade your equipment. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader each few weeks.
The cost of upgrades will be based on the current level of the equipment being upgraded however, they will always be cheaper than buying new equipment from other sources. For example upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl 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 for weapons, armor, tools, and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for various currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any tool, weapon, or armor. The button will show a preview of an item upgrading's next level of upgrade, if there are enough materials.
The upgrade cost depends on the item slot and the current level of the item upgrading and the weapon's price is higher than gloves or bracers, for example. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of Flightstones or crests used. After an Best item upgrader has been upgraded to a certain level it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currencies.
Upgraders for items are available at many locations on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and the chance to obtain an entirely new recipe. The discount on upgrades increases with the number of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be increased by requiring players to complete specific achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades require various methods, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with numerous new features added. When a player has an upgrade to a certain level for an item level upgrade; additional hints, in an armor slot, upgrading other items to that same item level will cost less even when they belong to another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading gear in WoW, players have a couple of choices. Flightstones are an item upgrader mod that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an integral part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests can only be spent on equipment that is of a particular rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for upgrading. The simplest and simplest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade requires up to 20 crests, depending on the kind of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through content that is of the appropriate level, which means walking around and doing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons of all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too difficult however, the system does introduce some modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl on all of 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 a good idea to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the top gear you have available and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning on making. This is particularly relevant for items like trinkets and rings that take up several slots. The discount for the entire account is only applicable when all the slots on the character are filled with high-quality gear.