WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades give you boosts in specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of the item by +3. A random additional substat is also added to each upgrade.

Upgraded gear generally sees higher trade value as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variance (like the eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as useful for the latter due to the need to roll 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 on any kind of weapon or armor. However, the Best item upgrade used to upgrade will be consumed forever and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enchantments.

The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and can be accessed at any time to upgrade your gear. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks to ensure that your equipment is up-to-date.

The cost of upgrading will be based on the current Best item upgrade level of the equipment being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment from other sources. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points while purchasing the same item from a different player will cost 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are functional items that are used to upgrade weapons tools, armor, and other accessories. Players can purchase them through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for a variety of currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor. The button will show a preview of an item's next level of upgrade, if there are enough materials.

The cost of upgrading is based on the Best item upgrade slot and the current level of the item, with weapons costing more than bracers or gloves, for instance. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain level it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.

Upgraders for items can be found in a variety of locations on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and a chance to obtain an entirely new recipe. The discount for upgrades increases with the number of items that are being upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete specific achievements or complete quests.

Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no upgrader for items available at the start of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are only accessible via a variety of ways. This is both a benefit and an issue.

In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade system. Once the player has upgraded to a certain level of item for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This is even if those items come from an entirely different set of equipment.

The amount of Valorstones required to upgrade is reduced and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is reduced too, but it is only available after certain milestones are achieved.

Crests

When it comes to upgrading gear in WoW players have a few choices. Flightstones are an Item Level upgrade that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more special and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1 and are available in 4 ranks.

First, you should know that Crests are only available to gear with a certain rank. Each rank comes with an upgrade path that is different. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, depending 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 gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons with any difficulty for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader for the item like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and routes.

Utilizing these new currencies isn't too difficult however, the system does introduce some changes to the overall upgrade process. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This is to allow players to get their equipment to the highest ilvl possible for all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.

It's also essential to use crests in a wise manner, as they are only used for one purpose. It is recommended to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the top-quality equipment that you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly relevant for items like rings and trinkets that occupy multiple slots. The discount for the entire account is only applicable when all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.