WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you an increase in certain statistics. Each upgrade boosts the item level by +3. A random substat is also boosted alongside each upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless it 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 need to roll to get 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 type of armor or weapons. However, the item used for the upgrade will be consumed forever and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks, to ensure that your equipment is up-to-date.
The cost of upgrading will depend on the current item level of the item being upgraded, but will always be cheaper than buying new gear from other sources. For instance upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points purchasing a similar piece from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for weapons, armor, tools, and accessory upgrades. They can be bought by players through item upgrader NPCs in exchange for a variety of 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 using a The button will show the preview of an item's next level of upgrade, if there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot for the item and the current item level. For example weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain degree it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items, including the main Island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and the chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be increased by having players complete specific achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades must be acquired through various methods which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, many new features were added to the upgrade system. After a player has earned an upgrade to a specific item level for a particular armor slot, upgrading further items to the same level will cost less even when they are part of an entirely different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. upgrade item of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is cut as well, but is only available after certain milestones are reached.
Crests
Players have several options when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specialized and are utilized during specific upgrades to the level of an item. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be used on equipment of a particular rank, and that every rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade requires up to 20 crests, depending on the type or gear being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, dungeons or raids of all difficulty for items of higher tier or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for endgame gear. These crests can be exchanged with an item upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and routes.
The use of these currencies isn't too difficult, but the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade process. Once a piece of gear attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests only have one use therefore it's essential to use them wisely. It is recommended to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the best gear that you can find and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next round of upgrades. This is particularly true for items like trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character that will be able to take advantage of the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are full of high-quality gear.