WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases the Best item upgrader level by +3. A random substat is also boosted alongside each upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more useful, unless the item has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are not as useful for those with lower requirements because of the requirement to roll the perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapons. However, the item used for the upgrade will be consumed forever and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader each several weeks.
The cost of upgrading will vary based on the current level of the equipment being upgraded however, they will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item upgrading will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade tools, armor, weapon and accessory upgrades. They are purchased by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for different currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any weapon, tool or armor. The button will display the item's next upgrade level, if there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot of the item and the current level of the item. For instance weapons cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades give a discount on the Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain level it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Item upgraders can be found at many locations, including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases with the number of items being upgraded, and can be increased by having players complete specific achievements or quests.
In contrast to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II, there is no item upgrader available at the start of Icewind Dale. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only available via a variety of ways. This is both a positive and a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with numerous new features added. Once an upgrade has been completed to a certain level of item for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same item level, will cost less. This applies even if those items are from another set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is reduced as well, but is only available after certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have a variety of options for upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specialized, and are used during specific upgrades to the level of an item upgrade. Crests are an integral part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
First, you should know that crests are only available for equipment that is with a certain rank. Each rank has an upgrade path that is different. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the more complex one can require as much as 20 crests, based on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that means walking around and doing outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons of any difficulty for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an item upgrader such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and pathways.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, but it does bring some changes to the upgrade process. For instance, once an item reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't need Flightstones to be upgraded. This change allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest level possible for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another important change is that crests have one purpose therefore it's essential to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance, it's Best item upgrade to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the top equipment available and save Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you're planning to make. This is especially relevant for items like trinkets and rings that fill several slots. The discount on the account will only be applicable if all slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.