WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases item level by 3. Each upgrade also boosts a random substat.
Upgraded gear generally sees more value in trade regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or has a high stat variation (like Eth titan weapons). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade gear to a higher level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapons. However, the item used to upgrade will remain in use for a long time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create the enchantments.
You can upgrade items your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each couple of weeks.
The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current level of the item being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than buying new gear from other sources. For instance, upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points while purchasing the same item from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade weapons tools, armor, and accessories. They can be bought by players from NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be applied to any tool, weapon or armor. The button will show the Item level Upgrade's next upgrade level in the event that there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot of the item and the current item level. For instance weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currencies.
Upgraders for items are available at many locations, including the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon and the possibility of getting the latest recipe. The discount for upgrades increases according to the number of items that are being upgraded. It can also be increased by requiring players to complete specific achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an Best item upgrade upgrader at the 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 that are both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, a number of new features were added to the upgrade system. Once an upgrade has been completed to a certain level of item for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level upgrade level will cost less. This is true even if the items are from a different set of equipment.
The discount applies to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is cut also, but is only available once certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
Players have a number of 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 used for specific item upgrader kit level upgrades. Crests are an important component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was 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 on equipment of a particular rank, and every rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the most complicated requires as many as 20 crests, based on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level, which involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of any difficulty for higher-tier items or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests can be exchanged with an upgrader such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and pathways.
The new currency system isn't complicated to use, however it does bring some modifications to the upgrade process. For example, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest upgrade level of any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change is intended to allow players to upgrade their equipment to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests with care, since they are only used for one purpose. For instance it's a good idea use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the top equipment available and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan on making. This is especially applicable to items like trinkets and rings that take up multiple slots. The discount on the account will only be applicable if all the slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.