WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you an increase in certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the item level by +3. A random substat is also increased with every upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless the item is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the necessity to roll to get a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader enables players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item used to upgrade will be consumed forever and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to the enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to 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 item level of the gear being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than buying new gear from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items which can be used to upgrade weapons, tools, armor, and other accessories. They are purchased by players through NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for different currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor with an The button will show a preview of an item's next upgrade level in the event that there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the item slot and the current item level and the weapon's price is higher than gloves or bracers for instance. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of Flightstones or crests that are used. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain degree it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items in addition to the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and the chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases according to the number of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be boosted by having players complete some specific achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. The NPCs who can facilitate upgrades are only available through a variety means. This is both a benefit as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, many new features were added to the upgrade system. Once a player has upgraded to a certain level of item for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This applies regardless of whether the items are from a different set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is reduced as well, but is only available after certain milestones are reached.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW, players have a few choices. They can make use of Flightstones, which are a common upgrade currency that is accessible to all, or crests, which are more specialized and consumed during upgrades on specific item levels. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be used to purchase gear of a specific rank, and each rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade requires up to 20 crests, contingent on the kind of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through working through tasks at the appropriate level. This could mean engaging in outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of all difficulty levels to obtain equipment of lower tier or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with heroic difficulty for endgame gear. upgrade item can then be exchanged with an item upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and pathways.
The new currency system isn't complicated to use, but it will bring some changes to the process of upgrading. For instance, when a piece of equipment reaches the highest upgrade level of any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change lets players upgrade their gear to the highest level possible for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests wisely, as they only have one use. For instance, it's best to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the best gear you have available and save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning to make. This is particularly relevant for items like trinkets and rings that fill multiple slots. The discount for the entire account will only be applicable if all the slots on the character are filled with high-quality gear.