WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades can give you boost in certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. A random extra substat is also boosted alongside every upgrade.

The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless the item has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like the eth Titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as valuable for those with higher variance because of the requirement to roll an exact version.

Recycle Points

The item upgrader enables players to upgrade gear to a higher level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item that is used to upgrade will remain in use for a long time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.

The upgrader is located in all major cities, and is accessible anytime to upgrade item your gear. To keep your gear current it is recommended you visit the upgrader every several weeks.

The cost of upgrades will be based on the current level of the item being upgraded, but will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade tools, armor, weapon, and accessory upgrades. They can be 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 purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any tool, weapon or armor. The button will display the 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 level of the item, with weapons costing more than gloves or bracers for instance. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with certain upgrades having a discount to reduce the cost of Flightstones or the crests used. After an item has been upgraded to a certain amount, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower price.

A lot of locations offer upgraders for items which include the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases according to the number of items being upgraded, and can be increased by having players complete specific achievements or complete quests.

Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II, there is no upgrader for items available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. Instead the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades require a variety of means that are both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.

In Season 3 the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and numerous new features added. Once a player obtains an upgrade items to a certain level of an item Level upgrade for a specific armor slot, upgrading other items to that level will cost less even when they are part of a different gear set.

The discount is applicable to 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 achievement milestones.

Crests

Players have a variety of options when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more special and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1 and are available in 4 ranks.

The first thing to be aware of is that crests can only be used on equipment that is of a particular rank, and each rank has its own requirements for upgrading. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade items could require as much as 20 crests, based on the type or equipment being upgraded.

Players can earn crests through completing content of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of all difficulties for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. Crests can be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade items paths and steps.

The new currency system isn't difficult to use, however it brings some changes to the upgrade process. For example, once an item 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 designed to allow players to get their equipment to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters, instead of relying only on seasonal loot.

It's also essential to use crests wisely, as they have only one purpose. For instance, it's a good idea use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the best 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 especially true for items like trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character which will only be able to benefit from the account-wide discount if all slots are filled with high-quality equipment.