WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boosts in specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also boosts a random substat.
The more modernized gear generally has a greater value for trade as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variance (like the eth titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The item level upgrade upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an 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 can be visited at any time to upgrade your equipment. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every several weeks.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the item however they'll always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest up to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item level upgrade will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items which can be used to upgrade weapons and tools, armor and other items. They can be bought by players from NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for different currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any tool, weapon or armor. The button will show the preview of an item's next upgrade level if there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the item slot and the current item level as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than gloves or bracers for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Certain upgrades provide a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain degree and is degraded, it can be sold and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of the two currencies.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items, including the main Island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and the chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded, and can be boosted by having players complete some specific achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at beginning, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades are acquired via various methods, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade system. Once the player has upgraded to a certain level of item for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same item level, will cost less. This is true regardless of whether the items come from another set of equipment.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. 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
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 specific and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are an important part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests are only available for equipment that is of a certain rank. Each rank has a different upgrade path. The simplest and simplest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, depending on the type of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through working through tasks at the appropriate level. This could be done by engaging in outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of all difficulties to get lower-tier gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with heroic difficulty for endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an item upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and pathways.
Using these new currencies isn't too difficult, but the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade process. For example, once an item reaches the highest upgrade level of any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest level possible on all their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests wisely, as they only have one use. It is recommended to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the Best item upgrade gear that you can find and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is especially true for items like rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character, that will be able to avail the account-wide discount if all of the slots are filled with top-quality gear.