WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a an increase in certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the
item upgrader mod level by +3. A random substat is also boosted alongside every upgrade.
The more modernized gear generally has a higher trade value regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variance (like Eth titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an 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 at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear current it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the item, but they will always be cheaper than purchasing new gear. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that can be used to improve the quality of weapons tools, armor, and other items. They can be purchased from NPCs of item upgraders for various currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be used on any weapon or tool using a button, which will display a preview of the item when it is upgraded in the event that the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the item slot and the current
Item level upgrade level, with weapons costing more than bracers or gloves, for instance. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of Flightstones or crests that are used. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain amount and is degraded, it can be sold and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currencies.
Upgraders for items are available in a variety of locations on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and the possibility of obtaining the latest recipe. The discount on upgrades increases with the number of items being upgraded, and can be increased by having players complete some specific achievements or complete 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 facilitate upgrades are acquired via a variety of means, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been altered a bit, with several new features added. Once a player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same
item level upgrade level will cost less. This is even if the items come from an entirely different set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players reach certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
Players have a number of options for upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific
item level upgrade level upgrades. Crests are a crucial part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that Crests are only available to equipment that is of a certain rank. Each rank comes with an upgrade path that is different. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, based on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing tasks at the appropriate level. This could be by engaging in outdoor activities or doing dungeons or raids in any difficulty to earn lower-tier gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with heroic difficulty for endgame gear. Crests can be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, but it brings some changes to the upgrade process. For example, once an item is at the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest level possible on all of their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests with care, since they have only 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 then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan to make. This is especially applicable to rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character that will be able to avail the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are filled with high-quality equipment.