WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you an increase in certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by +3. A random substat is also added to each upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless it is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a high variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are less useful for those with lower requirements due to the need to roll the perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader enables players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be made on any type of armor or weapons. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and cannot be used again. upgrade item can also be used to create enhancements.
The upgrader is located in all major cities, and is accessible at any time to upgrade your equipment. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every few weeks.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the item level, however they'll always be cheaper than purchasing new gear. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase weapons, armor, tools and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players through item upgrader NPCs in exchange for different 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 display a preview of an item's next level of upgrade, if there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the slot of the item and current item level and the weapon's price is higher than bracers or gloves, for instance. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain degree, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Many locations have upgraders for their items which include the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and a chance to obtain a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded, and can be increased 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 accessible via a variety of ways. This is both a benefit as well as an issue.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with several new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a particular level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading further items to that same item level will be less expensive, even when they are part of another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players reach certain achievement milestones.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading gear in WoW, players have a few choices. They can make use of Flightstones, which are a common upgrade currency that is available to everyone, or crests, which are more specialized and are consumed during upgrades at specific item levels. Crests are an integral element of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
First, you must be aware that Crests are only available to equipment that is of a certain rank. Each rank has a different upgrade path. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the more complex one requires as many as 20 crests depending on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that means walking around and doing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons with all difficulties for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too difficult, but the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade process. For example, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change lets players upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests with care, since they are only used for one purpose. For instance it's a good idea to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the top gear you have available and keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan to create. This is particularly relevant for items like rings and trinkets that occupy several slots. The discount on the account is only applicable when all the slots on the character are filled with high-quality gear.