WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boost in specific statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless it has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like the eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are less valuable for those with higher variance due to the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader each several weeks.
The cost of upgrading will vary based on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded but they will always be less expensive than buying new gear from other sources. For instance, upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points, while buying a similar item level Upgrade from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade weapons, armor, tools and accessory upgrades. They can be bought by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be used on any weapon or tool with an The button will display a preview of an item's next upgrade level in the event that there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot of the item upgrades and the current item level. For instance weapons cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with some upgrades having a discount to reduce the cost of Flightstones or the crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of the two currency types.
Upgraders for items are available in many places, including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade items coupon and a possibility of obtaining a new recipe. The discount on upgrades increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the beginning unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. Instead the NPCs that can be used to upgrade are acquired via a variety of means, which is both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, the upgrade system was modified a bit, and several new features added. When a player has an upgrade to a certain level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading additional items to that level will be less expensive, even in the event that they are part of another set of gear.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading gear in WoW, players have a couple of choices. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
First, you must be aware that Crests are only available to equipment that is of a particular rank. Each rank comes with a different upgrade path. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, based on the type or equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through working through tasks at the appropriate level. This could be done by doing outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in all difficulty levels to obtain equipment of lower tier or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons that have a high difficulty to obtain endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and pathways.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it will bring 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 lets players upgrade their gear to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests have one use therefore it's essential to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance it's Best item upgrader to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests with the best equipment you have and save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning to make. This is particularly applicable to trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character which will only be able to benefit from the account-wide discount if all of the slots are full of high-quality gear.