WoW Upgrades - The item level upgrade Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boost in certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of the item by +3. Each upgrade item also increases the random substatus.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless the item has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like the eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are less useful for those with higher variance because of the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade gear to a higher level by supplying 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 can't be used again. Upgrades can be applied to 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 few weeks.
The cost of upgrading will vary based on the current item level of the item being upgraded but they will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment from other sources. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points, purchasing a similar piece from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that can be used to improve the quality of weapons and tools, armor and accessories. They can be purchased by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for a variety of currencies, and may 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 a preview of an item's next upgrade level if there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot for the item upgrader mod and the current level of the item Level upgrade. For instance weapons cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Item upgraders can be found at many locations on the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and the possibility of obtaining a new recipe. The discount on upgrades increases when more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items 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, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been altered a bit, with several new features added. After a player has upgraded to a certain level of Best item upgrader for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This is regardless of whether the items are from an entirely different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players reach certain achievement milestones.
Crests
Players have a number of choices when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be used to purchase equipment that is of a particular rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade item path. The most basic and straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the most complex requires as many as 20 crests depending on the kind of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through content at the appropriate level. This could be done by doing outdoor activities, or by doing dungeons or raids in any difficulty to earn equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for endgame gear. These crests can be exchanged with an item upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and routes.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too difficult, but the system will introduce a few changes to the overall upgrade process. Once a piece of gear attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it will no longer require Flightstones. This is to allow players to upgrade their gear up to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters, rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
Another significant change is that crests only have one usage and it's crucial to use them wisely. It is recommended 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 particularly true for items such as rings and trinkets that occupy several slots. The discount for the entire account will only apply when all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality gear.