WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades will give you a an increase in specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. A random additional substat is also added to each upgrade item.

The upgraded gear typically has a more value in trade regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variance (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades are not as important for those with lower requirements due to the need to roll an exact version.

Recycle Points

The item upgrading upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. However, the item used for the upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enchantments.

You can upgrade your gear anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader every several weeks.

Upgrades will cost more, based on the item level upgrade level, however they'll always be cheaper than buying new gear. For example upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points purchasing a similar piece from a different player will cost 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that are used to upgrade weapons and tools, armor and accessories. They can be purchased from NPCs of item upgraders in a variety of currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased, it can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor using a button, which displays an image of the item level Upgrade at the next upgrade level when the player has enough materials.

The cost of upgrading varies based on the item slot, and the current level of the item. For example weapons are more expensive than bracers, or gloves. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of the Flightstones or crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower price.

Item upgraders can be found in a variety of locations, including the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases according to the number of items being upgraded. It is also possible to be increased by requiring players to complete specific achievements or complete quests.

Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no item upgrader available in the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are available only through a variety of methods. This is both a positive and a drawback.

In Season 3 the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and several new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a specific level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level will be less expensive, even when they belong to a different gear set.

The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is account-wide. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievements.

Crests

When upgrading equipment in WoW players have a couple of options. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specialized, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.

The first thing to be aware of is that crests can only be used on equipment of a particular rank, and that each rank has different requirements for upgrading. The simplest and simplest upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complex requires as many as 20 crests, based on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.

Players can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level. This could be by doing outdoor activities, or by completing dungeons and raids in all difficulties to get equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.

The new currency system isn't difficult to use, however it will bring some changes to the 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 is intended to allow players to upgrade their equipment up to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters, rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.

It's also crucial to choose crests wisely, as they only have one use. It is best to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the best gear that you can find, and save Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is especially relevant for items like trinkets and rings that take up several slots. The discount for the entire account will only apply when all the slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.