WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also boosts a random substat.
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 the eth titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the requirement to roll to get a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapon. However, the item that is used for the upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to enchantments.
You can upgrade 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 every couple of weeks.
Upgrades will cost more depending on the level of the item however, they are always cheaper than purchasing new gear. For instance, upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 levels 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 purchase weapons, armor, tools, and accessory upgrades. They are purchased by players through NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for various currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once the original source has been purchased it can be applied to any weapon or tool with the help of button, which will display an item's preview at the next upgrade level in the event that the player has enough materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the item slot, and the current item level. For example weapons cost more than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain level, it can be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lower amount of the two currencies.
Upgraders for items are available in many places including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and the possibility of obtaining an entirely new recipe. The discount on upgrades increases when more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
In contrast to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II, there is no upgrader for items in the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who can facilitate upgrades are only available through a variety of methods. This is both a positive and a drawback.
In Season 3, a number of new features were added to the upgrade system. When a player has an upgrade to a certain level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading further items to that level will be less expensive, even in the event that they belong to an entirely different set of gear.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is reduced also, but is only available after certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW players have a variety of choices. They can make use of Flightstones, which are a common upgrade currency that is accessible to everyone players, or crests, which are more specific and consumed during upgrades at specific levels of the item. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests are only able to be spent on equipment of a particular rank, and each rank has different requirements for upgrading. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, contingent on the type of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that means walking around and doing outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons with any difficulty for higher-tier items or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for endgame gear. Crests can be exchanged at an item upgrade r NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, but it brings some changes to the upgrade process. For example, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change is intended to allow players to get their equipment to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another important change is that crests only have one use therefore it's essential to use them properly. It's best to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the best gear you can find and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is especially relevant for rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character which can only be eligible to take advantage of the account-wide discount when all of the slots are filled with top-quality equipment.