WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by +3. Each upgrade also increases the random substatus.
The more modernized gear generally has a greater value for trade as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or a very high stat variance (like the eth titan weapons). Upgrades are less useful for those with higher variance due to the need to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The
item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher
item upgrader kit level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create Enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear 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 few weeks.
The cost of upgrades will depend on the current item level of the gear being upgraded but they will always be cheaper than purchasing new gear from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items which can be used to level up weapons tools, armor, and other items. They can be bought by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be applied to any weapon or tool using a button, which displays an item's preview when it is upgraded in the event that the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot of the item and the current level of the item. For instance weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with some upgrades having a discount to reduce the cost of the Flightstones or crests that are used. After an item has been upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower price.
Item upgraders can be found in many places, including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and the chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases with the number of items that are 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 at the beginning of Icewind Dale. Instead the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades must be acquired through various methods which is both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, the upgrade system was modified a bit, and numerous new features added. When a player has an upgrade to a specific item level for a particular armor slot, upgrading additional items to that same item level will be less expensive, even in the event that they belong to a different gear set.
The amount of Valorstones required to upgrade is reduced and the discount is account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is cut as well, but is only available after certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have a variety of choices when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests are only able to be spent on equipment of a particular rank, and every rank has different requirements for upgrading. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade can require up to 20 crests, contingent on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing content at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities, or by taking on dungeons and raids of any difficulty to earn lower-level gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons that have a high difficulty for endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an
item upgrader such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and pathways.
The use of these currencies isn't too complicated, but the system introduces some modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, when an item is at the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it won't need Flightstones to be upgraded. This is to allow players to upgrade their equipment to the highest ilvl possible for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests in a wise manner, as they are only used for one purpose. It is best to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the top-quality equipment that you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly true for items such as trinkets and rings that fill several slots. The discount for the entire account will only be applicable if all slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.