WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by +3. A random substat is also increased with each upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless the item has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a high variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are not as important for the latter because of the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. The item level upgrade used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can't 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 ensure that your equipment is up-to-date it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the item upgrading but they will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment. For example upgrading a Benthic chest piece to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points, while purchasing the same item from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that are used to level up weapons tools, armor, and other accessories. They can be bought by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any tool, weapon or armor. button, which will show a preview of the item at the next upgrade level in the event that the player has enough materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot of the item and the current item Level upgrade level. For instance weapons cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with some upgrades having a discount to reduce the cost of the Flightstones or the crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currencies.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items which include the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and a chance to obtain a new upgrade 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 item upgrader available at the start of Icewind Dale. Instead, the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades are acquired via a variety of means that are both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, many new features have been added to the upgrade items system. After the player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level will cost less. This applies even if the items are from another set of equipment.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced also, but is only available after certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a variety of choices. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to all players for upgrading. Crests are more special, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an integral 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 of a particular rank, and every rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, depending on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, which involves walking around and performing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of any difficulty for higher-tier items or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for gear that is used in the endgame. Crests can be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
Using these new currencies isn't too complicated, but the system does introduce some changes to the overall upgrade process. For instance, once an item reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This is to allow players to upgrade their gear up to the highest level possible for all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests wisely, as they are only used for one purpose. For instance, it's best to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests with the best equipment available and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan to make. This is especially true for items such as trinkets and rings that take up multiple slots. The discount for the entire account will only be applicable if all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.