WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item upgrading by +3. Each upgrade also boosts the random substatus.
The upgraded gear typically has a greater value for trade as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or a very high stat variation (like Eth titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The Item Level Upgrade upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by giving the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any type of armor or weapons. However, the item that is used to upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to the enchantments.
The upgrader is located in every major city, and is accessible at any time to upgrade your equipment. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader every few weeks.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the level of the item however they'll always be cheaper than buying new gear. For example upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points while buying a similar item from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade weapons, armor, tools and accessory upgrades. Players can purchase them from NPCs of item upgraders for various currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased, it can be used on any weapon or tool using a button, which displays an image of the item when it is upgraded in the event that the player has enough materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot for the item and the current level of the item. For example weapons are more expensive than bracers, or gloves. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item upgrader mod has been upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Many locations have upgraders for their items in addition to the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases depending on the amount of items being upgraded, and can be increased by having players complete some specific achievements or complete quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no item upgrader available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. Instead, the NPCs that can be used to upgrade must be acquired through various methods which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been altered a bit, with some new features added. Once a player obtains 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 belong to an entirely different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is reduced as well, but is only available when certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW players have a variety of choices. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more special and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1 and are available in 4 ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be used to purchase equipment of a particular rank, and each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, based on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing tasks at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities, or by completing dungeons and raids in all difficulties to get lower-tier gear or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons that have a high difficulty to obtain endgame gear. These crests can be exchanged with an item upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and pathways.
The use of these currencies isn't too complicated however, the system introduces some modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change lets players upgrade their gear to the highest possible level for all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests in a wise manner, as they are only used for one purpose. For instance it's Best item upgrade to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the best gear you have available and keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning to create. This is especially applicable to items like trinkets and rings that fill several slots. The discount on the account is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with top-quality gear.