WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you an increase in certain statistics. Each upgrade boosts the item level by +3. A random additional substat is also added to each upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more useful, unless the item has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a high variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the requirement to roll to get a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The
item upgrader kit upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. However, the
Item level Upgrade that is used for the upgrade will be consumed forever and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create the enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader each few weeks.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the level of the item, however, they are always cheaper than purchasing new gear. For instance, upgrading a Benthic chest piece to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points while buying a similar item from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items that are used to level up weapons, tools, armor, and other items. They can be bought by players through
item upgrader NPCs in exchange for various currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once an
upgrade item is purchased, it can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor with an The button will show a preview of an item's next upgrade level in the event that there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot for the item and the current item level. For example weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of Flightstones or crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lower amount of the two currencies.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items in addition to the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and a chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases depending on the amount of items being upgraded, and can be boosted by having players complete some specific achievements or complete quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no item upgrader available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who can facilitate upgrades are available only through a variety means. This is both a positive and a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was modified a bit, and numerous new features added. When a player has an
upgrade items to a specific level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading additional items to that level will cost less even in the event that they are part of an entirely different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is cut also, but is only available once certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
Players have a variety of options for upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specialized and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an integral component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests can only be spent on equipment that is of a particular rank, and each rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The most basic and straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complex can require as much as 20 crests based on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through tasks at the appropriate level. This could be done by doing outdoor activities, or by doing dungeons or raids in any difficulty to earn equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons that have a high difficulty for endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and pathways.
The use of these currencies isn't that difficult, but the system does introduce some changes to the overall 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 will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change lets players upgrade their gear to the highest possible level on all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another important change is that crests have one use, so it's important to use them wisely. For instance, it's a good idea make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests with the
Best item upgrade equipment you have and save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you plan to create. This is particularly relevant for rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character, that will be able to benefit from the account-wide discount if all of the slots are filled with top-quality equipment.
