WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you an increase in certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by +3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.
Upgraded gear generally sees higher trade value, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variation (like the eth titan weapons). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the necessity to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to visit the upgrader every few weeks to keep your equipment up to date.
The cost of upgrading will depend on the current level of the gear being upgraded but they will always be less expensive than buying new gear from other sources. For instance upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points, purchasing a similar piece from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade tools, armor, weapon, and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor with the help of The button will show a preview of an item's next upgrade level if there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the item slot and the current level of the item as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than gloves or bracers for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with some upgrades having a discount to lower the cost of the Flightstones or the crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currency types.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items which include the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon as well as the possibility of getting a new recipe. item upgrading increases with the number of items being upgraded. It is also possible to be boosted by having players complete specific achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only available through a variety means. This is both a benefit and an issue.
In Season 3, the upgrade system was tweaked a bit, with some new features added. Once the player has upgraded to a certain item level for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This is true regardless of whether the items are from an entirely different set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones needed to upgrade is reduced and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
Players have a number of options when it comes to 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 during specific level upgrades for items. Crests are an important component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
First, you must be aware that crests are only available for equipment that is that is of a particular rank. Each rank has an upgrade path that is different. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade requires up to 20 crests, based on the type or equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing content of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of all difficulty for items of higher tier or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. The crests can later be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
The new currency system isn't complicated to use, but it does bring some changes to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it will no longer require Flightstones. This change is designed to allow players to upgrade their equipment up to the highest level possible for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests wisely, as they have only one purpose. For instance, it's a good idea to utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests on the best gear you have available, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you're planning on making. This is particularly applicable to rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character, which can only be eligible to take advantage of the discount for all accounts when all slots are filled with high-quality equipment.