WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades will give you a an increase in certain statistics. Each upgrade increases the level of the item by +3. A random substat is also increased with every upgrade.

The upgraded gear typically has a more value in trade regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or has a high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). The latter see 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 upgrading level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be made on any type of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to enchantments.

The upgrader is located in all major cities, and is accessible anytime to upgrade your gear. To keep your gear up-to-date, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every few weeks.

The cost of upgrades will be based on the current item level of the item being upgraded, but will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment from other sources. For instance, upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points purchasing a similar piece from a different player will cost 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are functional items that can be used to level up weapons tools, armor, and other items. They can be bought by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for different currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be applied to any weapon, tool or armor. The button will display the item's next level of upgrade, when there are enough materials.

Upgrade costs differ based on the slot of the item and the current level of the item. For example, weapons will cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of Flightstones or crests that are used. After an item has been upgraded to a certain amount, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower price.

A lot of locations offer upgraders for items in addition to the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded, and can be boosted by having players complete some specific achievements or quests.

Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades must be acquired through a variety of means, which is both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.

In Season 3, the upgrade system has been altered a bit, with numerous new features added. After a player has upgraded to a certain level of item upgrades level upgrade (click to find out more) for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This is true regardless of whether the items are from a different set of gear.

The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced also, but is only available when certain milestones are achieved.

Crests

Players have several options when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an integral element of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.

The first thing to note is that crests can only be used on gear of a specific rank, and 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, based on the type or equipment that is being upgraded.

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

The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, but it brings some changes to the process of upgrading. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade item for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it will no longer require Flightstones. This is to allow players to upgrade their equipment up to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.

Another notable change is that crests have one purpose, so it's important to use them wisely. It's Best item upgrader to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the top-quality equipment you can locate, and save Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly relevant for items like trinkets and rings that take up multiple slots. The account-wide discount will only apply when all slots on the character are filled with high-quality gear.