WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades give you an increase in certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.

The more modernized gear generally has a greater value for trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect model.

Recycle Points

The item level upgrade upgrader enables players to upgrade their gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be made on any type of weapon or armor. The item upgrade used to upgrade the item upgrader kit is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to the enchantments.

The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and can be visited at any time to upgrade your gear. It is recommended to visit the upgrader every few weeks, to keep your equipment up-to-date.

The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current item level upgrade level of the item being upgraded however, they will always be less expensive than purchasing new gear from other sources. For instance, upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points while purchasing the same item from a different player will cost 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase weapons, armor, tools, and accessory upgrades. They are purchased by players through NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found 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 Best item upgrader's next level of upgrade, if there are enough materials.

The cost of upgrading is based on the slot of the item and the current item level as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than bracers or gloves, for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Certain upgrades provide a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain degree, it can be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currencies.

Upgraders for items can be found in a variety of locations on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon and a chance to obtain the latest recipe. The discount on upgrades increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.

In contrast to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no upgrader for items at the start of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are only accessible through a variety of methods. This is both a benefit and a disadvantage.

In Season 3, a number of new features were added to the upgrade system. Once the player has upgraded to a certain item upgrade level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same level will cost less. This is true regardless of whether the items come from an entirely different set of gear.

The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced also, but is only available when certain milestones are achieved.

Crests

When upgrading equipment in WoW players have a couple of options. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized 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 come in 4 ranks.

First, you must be aware that crests are only available for equipment that is of a particular rank. Each rank has distinct upgrade paths. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade requires up to 20 crests, contingent on the type or equipment being upgraded.

Players can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in any difficulty to earn lower-level gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with heroic difficulty to obtain endgame gear. Crests can be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.

The new currency system isn't complicated to use, but it will bring some changes to the upgrade process. When a piece of equipment attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change is designed to allow players to get their equipment up to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters, instead of relying only on seasonal loot.

It's also important to use crests wisely, as they only have one use. For instance it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the top equipment available, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you plan to create. This is especially applicable to items like trinkets and rings that fill multiple slots. The account-wide discount will only be applicable if all the slots on the character are filled with high-quality gear.