WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. A random extra substat is also added to every upgrade.
The upgraded gear typically has a more value in trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades are less valuable for those with lower requirements because of the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to the 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 that you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the item level, however they'll always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest up to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for tools, armor, weapon and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased from NPCs of item upgraders in 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 the preview of an item's next upgrade level in the event that there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the slot of the item and the current item level as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than gloves or bracers, for example. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currencies.
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 discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases when 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 upgrader for items at the start of Icewind Dale. Instead, the NPCs that can be used to upgrade require several methods which is both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3, a number of new features were 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 true regardless of whether the items are from another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is available across all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a few choices. They can make use of Flightstones that are a common upgrade currency that is accessible to all players, or crests that are more specialized and consumed during upgrades at specific levels of items. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be spent on equipment that is of a particular rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for upgrading. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the more complex one can require as much as 20 crests, based on the type of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons with all difficulty for items of higher tier, or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses to obtain endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an item upgrader , such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and paths.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, but it brings some modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, once an item reaches the highest upgrade level of any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change lets players upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another significant change is that crests have one purpose therefore it's essential to use them wisely. It's best to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the best gear you can locate and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is especially relevant for items like trinkets and rings that fill multiple slots. The account-wide discount will only be applicable if all the slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.