WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you an increase in certain statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of the
Best item upgrade by +3. A random extra substat is also boosted alongside every upgrade.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless it is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a high variance in stats (like 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 on any kind of armor or weapons. However, the item that is used to upgrade will be consumed forever and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each several weeks.
The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current level of the equipment being upgraded but they will always be less expensive than buying new gear from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items which can be used to upgrade weapons tools, armor, and accessories. They can be purchased by players through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for various currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be applied to any weapon or tool with the help of The button will display the item's next upgrade level, in the event that there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the slot of the item and the current
item upgrade level, with weapons costing more than gloves or bracers, for instance. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of Flightstones or crests used. After an item has been upgraded to a certain level and is degraded, it can be sold and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currency types.
Upgraders for items can be found in a variety of locations, including the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and the chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players finish certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an
item Level upgrade upgrader at the beginning, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are available only via a variety of ways. This is both a positive and a drawback.
In Season 3, many new features were added to the upgrade system. After a player has earned an upgrade to a certain level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading additional items to that same item level will cost less even if they are part of a different gear set.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced also, but is only available when certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have a number of options when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests can only be used to purchase equipment of a particular rank, and that every rank has different requirements for upgrading. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, depending on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing content at the appropriate level. This could be by engaging in outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in all difficulty levels to obtain lower-level gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The new currency system isn't complicated to use, but it will bring some changes to the upgrade process. When a piece of equipment attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it no longer requires Flightstones. This change is intended to allow players to get their equipment to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters, rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests with care, since they have only one purpose. For instance, it's
Best item upgrade to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the top equipment available and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you plan to make. This is especially true for items like rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character, that will be able to take advantage of the account-wide discount if all slots are full of high-quality gear.