WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boosts in specific statistics. Each upgrade boosts the item level by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
Upgraded gear generally sees more value in trade regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or a very high stat variance (like the eth titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. However, the item used to upgrade will be consumed forever 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. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader every few weeks to ensure that your equipment is up-to-date.
The cost of upgrades will depend on the current item level of the item upgrading being upgraded but they will always be less expensive than buying new gear from other sources. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points, while purchasing the same item from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to improve the quality of weapons tools, armor, and accessories. They are purchased by players through item upgrader NPCs in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be applied to any weapon or tool using a button, which displays a preview of the item when it is upgraded if the player has sufficient materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the slot of the item and the current item level and the weapon's price is higher than bracers or gloves, for example. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with some upgrades having a discount to reduce the cost of the Flightstones or crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain amount it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items, including the main Island and some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade item discount and the chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases with the number of items that are being upgraded. It can also be boosted by having players complete some specific 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 help with upgrades must be acquired through various methods which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system was modified a bit, and several new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a specific item Level Upgrade level for a particular armor slot, upgrading further items to that same item level will be less expensive, even in the event that they are part of a different gear set.
The discount applies to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment 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 for specific item upgrader mod level upgrades. Crests are a crucial element of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
First, you must be aware that the crests can only be purchased for equipment that is of a certain rank. Each rank has a different upgrade path. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade requires up to 20 crests, depending on the type of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through content at the appropriate level. This could mean engaging in outdoor activities or doing dungeons or raids in all difficulty levels to obtain lower-tier gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with a heroic difficulty to obtain endgame gear. The crests can later be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
Using these new currencies isn't too complicated, but the system will introduce a few changes to the overall upgrade process. When a piece of equipment has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change is intended to allow players to get their equipment up to the highest level possible for all their characters instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
Another significant modification is that crests have one use and it's crucial to make use of them in a responsible manner. It's best to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the highest-quality gear you can find, and save Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. 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 equipment.