WoW Upgrades - The
item upgrade Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases item level by 3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.
The more modernized gear generally has a higher trade value, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or a very high stat variation (like the eth titan weapons). Upgrades are less important for those with higher variance due to the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade gear to a higher level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any type of weapon or armor. However, the item used to upgrade will be consumed forever and can't be used again. Upgrades can be applied to enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader every few weeks.
Upgrades will cost more depending on the level of the
item upgrader mod, however, they are always cheaper than buying new equipment. For example upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points, while buying a similar
Item Level Upgrade from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase tools, armor, weapon, and accessory upgrades. They are purchased by players through NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for different currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any tool, weapon, or armor. button, which will show an image of the item at the next upgrade level in the event that the player has enough materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot for the
item level upgrade and the current item level. For example weapons cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of Flightstones or crests 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 currency types.
Item upgraders can be found at many locations, including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and a possibility of getting an entirely new recipe. The discount on upgrades increases according to the number of items that are being upgraded. It can also be boosted by requiring players to complete specific achievements or complete quests.
In contrast to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no upgrader for items available at the start of Icewind Dale. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are available only through a variety means. This is both a benefit and a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been altered a bit, with numerous new features added. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a certain level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading additional items to that same item level will be less expensive, even in the event that they are part of another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required to upgrade is reduced and the discount is account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players reach certain achievement milestones.
Crests
Players have a number of choices when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more special and are used for specific
item upgrading level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1, and come in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests are only able to be used on equipment of a particular rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the more complex one requires as many as 20 crests, based on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing tasks at the appropriate level. This could be done by doing outdoor activities, or by taking on dungeons and raids of all difficulties to get equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't that difficult, but the system introduces some modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it no longer requires Flightstones. This change lets players upgrade their equipment to the highest level possible on all of their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests in a wise manner, as they only have one use. For instance, it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the
Best item upgrade equipment available, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning on making. This is especially applicable to trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character, which can only be eligible to take advantage of the account-wide discount when all of the slots are filled with high-quality equipment.