WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boost in specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item upgrader mod by 3. Each upgrade also boosts an unspecified substat.
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 variance (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades are less useful for those with higher variance because of the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. However, the item that is used to upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can be applied to Enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks to keep your equipment up-to-date.
The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current level of the gear being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than buying new gear from other sources. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points, while buying a similar item from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that can be used to improve the quality of weapons tools, armor, and other items. Players can purchase them from NPCs of item upgraders for a variety of currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any weapon, tool, or armor. The button will show the preview of an item Level Upgrade's next level of upgrade item, in the event that there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot for the item and the current item upgrading level. For example weapons cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with some upgrades having a discount to lower the cost of Flightstones or the crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currency types.
Many locations have upgraders for their items in addition to the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and a possibility of obtaining the latest recipe. The upgrade discount increases with the number of items being upgraded, and can be increased by having players complete specific achievements or quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no upgrader for items at the beginning of Icewind Dale. Instead, the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades are acquired via various methods which is both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, several new features were added to the upgrade system. After a player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This applies regardless of whether the items come from an entirely different set of equipment.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced as well, but is only available once certain milestones are reached.
Crests
Players have several options for upgrading their gear in WoW. 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 a crucial part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
First, you should know that crests are only available for equipment that is with a certain rank. Each rank comes with distinct upgrade paths. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, depending on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by working through content that is of the appropriate level, which means walking around and doing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons of any difficulty for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for endgame gear. Crests can be exchanged at an item 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, however it will bring some modifications to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it no longer requires Flightstones. This change is designed to allow players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another important change is that crests have one usage therefore it's essential to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the Best item upgrader equipment you have, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you're planning to create. This is particularly applicable to items like trinkets and rings that fill multiple slots. The discount for the entire account is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.