WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades will give you a boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by 3. A random substat is also added to each upgrade item.

The upgraded gear typically has a more value in trade as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or a very high stat variation (like Eth titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the necessity to roll for a perfect model.

Recycle Points

The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapon. However, the item that is used to upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to the enchantments.

You can upgrade your equipment at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to visit the upgrader every few weeks, to keep your equipment up to date.

The cost of upgrading will depend on the current level of the equipment being upgraded but they will always be cheaper than purchasing new gear from other sources. For example upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points purchasing a similar piece from another player will costs 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that can be used for weapon, armor, tool, and accessory upgrades. They can be bought by players through NPCs who sell upgrades for items 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 or tool using a button, which will show an item's preview at the next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.

The cost of upgrading is based on the slot of the item and the current item level upgrade level, with weapons costing more than gloves or bracers for example. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades give a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lower amount of the two currency types.

Many locations have upgraders for their items, including the main Island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount as well as a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players complete certain achievements or quests.

Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no item upgrader available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are available only through a variety means. This is both a benefit as well as a disadvantage.

In Season 3, the upgrade system has been altered a bit, with some new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a specific level for an Best item upgrader in an 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 needed for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain milestones in their achievement.

Crests

When upgrading gear in WoW, players have a variety of choices. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item upgrade level upgrades. Crests are an integral component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.

The first thing to remember is that crests can only be spent on gear of a specific rank, and each rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the most complicated may require as many as 20 crests, based on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.

Players can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of all difficulty for items of higher tier or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for endgame gear. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.

The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, but it does bring 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 require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change lets players upgrade their gear to the highest possible ilvl on all of their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.

Another important change is that crests have one purpose therefore it's essential to use them properly. For instance it's a good idea make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the Best item upgrade equipment you have, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you're planning on making. This is particularly true for items like trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character that will be able to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are filled with high-quality gear.