WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases item level by +3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.
The upgraded gear typically has a more value in trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or very high stat variance (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades are less useful for those with lower requirements due to the need to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader enables players to upgrade item their gear to a higher item 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 also be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear current it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each several weeks.
Upgrades will cost more depending on the level of the item but they will always be cheaper than buying new gear. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that are used to upgrade weapons tools, armor, and accessories. They can be purchased by players from item upgraders NPCs in a variety of currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be applied to any weapon or tool with an The button will display the preview of an item's next level of upgrade, in the event that there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the item slot and current item level and the weapon's price is higher than gloves or bracers, for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of Flightstones or crests that are used. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain amount it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower price.
Item Level Upgrade upgraders can be found in a variety of locations including the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and the possibility of obtaining an entirely new recipe. The discount on upgrades increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II, there is no upgrader for items available at the start of Icewind Dale. Instead the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades are acquired via a variety of means, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, a number of new features have been added to the upgrade system. After an upgrade has been completed to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level, will cost less. This is even if those items are from another set of equipment.
The discount is available to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain achievement milestones.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW, players have a couple of choices. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
First, you must be aware 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 route costs 15 crests while the most complicated may require as many as 20 crests based on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing tasks at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities or doing dungeons or raids in all difficulty levels to obtain lower-tier gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with heroic difficulty for endgame gear. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
The use of these currencies isn't too complicated, but the system will introduce a few changes to the overall upgrade process. For instance, when a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl on all of their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests have one usage therefore it's essential to use them properly. For instance it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests with the Best item upgrader equipment you have, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning to make. This is especially applicable to trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character, that will be able to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are filled with high-quality equipment.