WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by +3. A random substat is also increased with each upgrade.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless it is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like the eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are less valuable for the latter due to the need 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. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear current it is recommended you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks.
Upgrades will cost more depending on the level of the item however, they are always cheaper than buying new gear. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest 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 are used to upgrade weapons tools, armor, and accessories. They can be purchased by players from NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased, it can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor using an button, which displays a preview of the item when it is upgraded if the player has sufficient materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the item slot and current item level, with weapons costing more than bracers or gloves, for instance. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. Once an
item upgrades has been upgraded to a certain level it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Item upgraders can be found in a variety of locations on the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases as more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete certain achievements or complete 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 available through a variety of methods. This is both a benefit as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was tweaked a bit, with numerous new features added. Once a player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same item level, will cost less. This applies even if those items come from an entirely different set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain achievement milestones.
Crests
Players have a variety of options when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an
item upgrading that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific Item level upgrade (
cameradb.review) level upgrades. Crests are an important part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
First, you must be aware that Crests are only available to equipment that is of a particular rank. Each rank has an upgrade path that is different. The most basic and straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complicated requires as many as 20 crests depending on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that means walking around and doing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons with all difficulties for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for endgame gear. The crests can later be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it will bring some modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, when an item reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest level possible on all of their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
Another significant change is that crests have one usage and it's crucial to use them properly. For instance it's best to utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests with the best equipment you have and keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning to make. This is especially applicable to rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character, that will be able to avail the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are filled with high-quality gear.