WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost in specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. A random extra substat is also added to each upgrade.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless it is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like eth Titan weapons). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapons. 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 enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in every major city, and is accessible at any time to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader once every few weeks to keep your equipment up-to-date.
The cost of upgrading will depend on the current level of the item being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment from other sources. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest up to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items which can be used to improve the quality of weapons tools, armor, and other items. Players can purchase them from NPCs of item upgraders for a variety of currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any tool, weapon, or armor. The button will show the preview of an item's next upgrade level, when there are enough materials.
item upgrading depends on the item slot and the current level of the item as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than gloves or bracers for instance. Each upgrade 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. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currencies.
Item upgraders can be found in many places including the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and the chance to obtain a new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be boosted by having players complete some specific achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are only accessible through a variety of methods. This is both a positive and an issue.
In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade system. Once an upgrade has been completed to a certain item level for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This is true regardless of whether the items are from an entirely different set of gear.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players achieve certain achievement milestones.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading gear in WoW, players have a couple of choices. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to all players for upgrading. Crests are more special, and are used during specific upgrades to the level of an item. Crests are an integral part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
First, you should know that Crests are only available to equipment with a certain rank. Each rank has an upgrade path that is different. The most basic and straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complex requires as many as 20 crests based on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through content that is of the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of any difficulty for higher-tier items or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader for the item such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and paths.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, but it brings some modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest level possible on all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests have one usage, so it's important to use them wisely. It is best to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the best gear you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is especially relevant for items like trinkets and rings that fill multiple slots. The discount on the account is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with top-quality gear.