WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boosts in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases the level of the item by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
Upgraded gear generally sees more value in trade regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a 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 weapon or armor. 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 also be used to create the enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in every major city, and can be accessed at any time to upgrade your gear. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks.
The cost of upgrades will depend on the current item level of the gear being upgraded, but will always be cheaper than buying new equipment from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item level upgrade, it will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade weapon, armor, tool and accessory upgrades. They are purchased by players from NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for different currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any weapon, tool or armor. The button will display the item upgrades's next upgrade level, when there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the slot of the Item level upgrade and the current level of the item, with weapons costing more than gloves or bracers for instance. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of Flightstones or crests used. After an item upgrading has been upgraded to a certain level it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Many locations offer item upgraders, including the main Island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and a chance to obtain a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrading increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
In contrast to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no upgrader for items in the beginning of Icewind Dale. Instead, the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades must be acquired through a variety of means that are both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade system. When a player has an upgrade to a certain level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading further items to that same item level will cost less even when they belong to another set of gear.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players reach certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
Players have a number of options for upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests can only be used to purchase equipment that is of a particular rank, and that every rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and simplest upgrade item is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, based on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing content at the appropriate level. This could be by doing outdoor activities, or by doing dungeons or raids in any difficulty to earn equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with a heroic difficulty to obtain endgame gear. The crests can later be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it will bring some changes to the upgrade process. For instance, when an item is at the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change lets players upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests in a wise manner, as they are only used for one purpose. For instance, it's a good idea utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests on the best equipment available, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan to make. This is particularly true for items such as trinkets and rings that fill several slots. The discount on the account is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with high-quality gear.