WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades will give you a boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases item upgrades level by +3. Each upgrade items also increases an unspecified substat.

The upgraded gear typically has a higher trade value, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as valuable for those with higher variance because of the requirement to roll the 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 kind of armor or weapon. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can be applied to enchantments.

The upgrader is located in every major city, and can be visited at any time to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks to keep your equipment up-to-date.

Upgrades will cost more depending on the level of the item upgrader kit however, they are always cheaper than buying new equipment. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that are used to improve the quality of weapons tools, armor, and accessories. They can be purchased by players through NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for various currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be applied to any tool, weapon, or armor. button, which displays an item's preview at the next upgrade level when the player has enough materials.

Upgrade costs differ based on the slot of the Item Level upgrade and the current level of the item. For example weapons cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Certain upgrades provide discounts on Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain level it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currency types.

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 discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete some specific achievements or quests.

Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the beginning, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only accessible through a variety means. This is both a positive and a drawback.

In Season 3, a number of new features were added to the upgrade system. After a player has earned an upgrade to a specific level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading further items to that same item level will cost less, even in the event that they are part of an entirely different set of gear.

The discount applies to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain achievement milestones.

Crests

When upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a variety of options. Flightstones are a currency that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.

The first thing to be aware of is that crests can only be used on equipment of a particular rank, and each rank has its own requirements for upgrading. The most basic and straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the more complex one may require as many as 20 crests, based on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.

Players can earn crests by working through content that is of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons with all difficulty for items of higher tier, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.

Using these new currencies isn't too difficult however, the system will introduce a few changes to the overall upgrade process. For instance, when an item upgrader kit 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 is to allow players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.

Another notable change is that crests have one usage therefore it's essential to make use of them in a responsible manner. It is best to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the best gear that you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is especially true for items such as trinkets and rings that take up several slots. The discount for the entire account will only be applicable if all slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.