WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of the item upgrader mod by +3. A random extra substat is also added to each upgrade.
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). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect model.
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 armor or weapon. The item upgrader mod (more resources) 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 anytime to upgrade your equipment. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each couple of weeks.
The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current level of the item being upgraded, but will always be cheaper than purchasing new gear from other sources. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest up to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that can be used to upgrade weapons, tools, armor, and other items. Players can purchase them from NPCs of item upgraders in a variety of currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased, it can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor with an button, which will display an item's preview at its next upgrade level when the player has enough materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot of the item and the current level of the item upgrading. For example weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with certain upgrades having a discount to reduce the cost of the Flightstones or crests that are used. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain level, it can be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currencies.
Upgraders for items can be found at many locations including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and a possibility of getting the latest recipe. The discount for upgrading increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players complete certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the beginning, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are only accessible via a variety of ways. This is both a positive and a disadvantage.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was altered a bit, with some new features added. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a certain level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading further items to that same item level will cost less, even if they belong to another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced as well, but is only available when certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
Players have a number of options for upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more special and are used for specific level upgrades for items. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1 and are available in 4 ranks.
First, you must be aware that the crests can only be purchased for gear with a certain rank. Each rank comes with an upgrade path that is different. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, depending on the kind of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing tasks at the appropriate level. This could mean engaging in outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in any difficulty to earn lower-level gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. Crests can be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The new currency system isn't complicated to use, however it does bring some changes to the upgrade process. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it no longer requires Flightstones. This change is designed to allow players to get their gear up to the highest ilvl possible for all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests wisely, as they only have one use. For instance it's a good idea make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests with the best gear you have available and keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning to make. This is especially true for items like rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character which will only be able to avail the account-wide discount when all of the slots are filled with top-quality gear.