WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the item level by +3. Each upgrade also boosts a random substat.
Upgraded gear generally sees greater value for trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or a very high stat variance (like the eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as important for those with higher variance due to the need to roll the perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader mod upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by giving the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any type of weapon or armor. 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 anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks to ensure that your equipment is up-to-date.
The cost of upgrades will be based on the current item level of the item being upgraded, but will always be cheaper than buying new gear from other sources. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items which can be used to level up weapons tools, armor, and accessories. They can be purchased by players from item upgraders NPCs for various currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be used on any weapon or tool using the help of button, which will display a preview of the item when it is upgraded when the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot for the item and the current level of the item upgrader mod. For instance weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. After an Item Level upgrade has been upgraded to a certain level it is able to be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currencies.
Many locations offer item upgrades upgraders which include the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases according to the number of items being upgraded. It can also be boosted by having players complete some specific achievements or quests.
Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no upgrader for items in the beginning of Icewind Dale. Instead the NPCs that can be used to upgrade require various methods, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system was altered a bit, with several new features added. When a player has an upgrade to a certain level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading further items to that level will cost less, even when they are part of a different gear set.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
Players have a variety of options when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an item upgrade that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests are only able to be used to purchase equipment that is of a particular rank, and that each rank has different requirements for upgrading. The simplest and simplest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, depending on the type or gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing content at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of any difficulty to earn equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with heroic difficulty for endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade item steps and routes.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, however it brings some changes to the process of upgrading. When a piece of equipment reaches 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 equipment to the highest possible level on all of their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable modification is that crests have one purpose therefore it's essential to use them properly. For instance it's best to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the best equipment you have, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you plan on making. This is especially true for items like trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character which can only be eligible to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all slots are filled with top-quality gear.