WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a an increase in specific stats. Each upgrade increases item level by 3. A random additional substat is also increased with every 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 Eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are less important for those with higher variance because of the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade item gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapon. However, the Best item upgrader used to upgrade will be consumed forever and cannot 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 current it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each several weeks.
The cost of upgrades will be based on the current level of the equipment being upgraded however, they will always be less expensive than purchasing new gear from other sources. For example upgrading a Benthic chest piece to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points, purchasing a similar piece from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that can be used to upgrade weapons and tools, armor and accessories. Players can purchase them through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for various currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any weapon, tool, or armor. button, which will display an item upgrading's preview at the next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the item slot and the current level of the item, with weapons costing more than gloves or bracers, for instance. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Upgraders for items are available in a variety of locations, including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and a chance to obtain an entirely 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 are available to facilitate upgrades are acquired via various methods which is both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3, a number of new features were added to the upgrade system. After the player has upgraded to a certain level of Best item upgrader for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level will cost less. This is regardless of whether the items come from an entirely different set of gear.
The discount applies to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced also, but is only available once certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have several options for upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific and are used for specific upgrades to the level of an item upgrader mod (go source). Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1 and are available in 4 ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests can only be used to purchase equipment that is of a particular rank, and every rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The most basic and straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the most complicated may require as many as 20 crests, based on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through content that is of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons with all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons to obtain endgame gear. These crests can then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too difficult however, the system does introduce some modifications to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it will no longer require Flightstones. This change is intended to allow players to get their equipment to the highest level possible on all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests with care, since they have only one purpose. It is recommended to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the Best item upgrader gear you can locate and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly relevant for rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character, which will only be able to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are filled with high-quality equipment.