WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades can give you boost in specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the item level by +3. A random substat is also added to every upgrade.

The upgraded gear typically has a greater value for trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or has a high stat variance (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as valuable for those with higher variance due to the need to roll an exact version.

Recycle Points

The Item Level Upgrade upgrader enables players to upgrade gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be made on any type of armor or weapons. However, the item upgrades that is used for the upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enhancements.

You can upgrade your gear at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear current it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each couple of weeks.

Upgrades will cost more, based on the level of the item however, they are always cheaper than buying new equipment. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest up to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items which can be used to improve the quality of weapons tools, armor, and other accessories. They can be purchased by players from item upgraders NPCs for a variety of currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased, it can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor with an button, which will display an item's preview at its next upgrade level in the event that the player has enough materials.

The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot of the item and the current level of the Best item upgrade. For example weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of Flightstones or crests that are used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currency types.

Many locations offer item upgraders, including the main Island and a few outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon and a possibility of getting a new recipe. The upgrade discount increases when more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.

Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the beginning unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades must be acquired through various methods which is both an improvement but also a drawback.

In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade system. After a player has earned an upgrade to a particular level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading further items to the same level will be less expensive, even if they belong to an entirely different set of gear.

The discount applies to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is reduced as well, but is only available when certain milestones have been reached.

Crests

Players have several options when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an important part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.

The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be used to purchase equipment of a particular rank, and that every rank has different requirements for upgrading. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade requires up to 20 crests, based 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 by doing dungeons or raids in all difficulties to get lower-level gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for endgame gear. Crests can be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.

Using these new currencies isn't too complicated however, the system will introduce a few changes to the overall upgrade process. For instance, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't need Flightstones to be upgraded. This allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest level possible on all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.

It's also essential to use crests in a wise manner, as they only have one use. It's Best item upgrade to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the highest-quality gear you can locate, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is especially true for items like rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character that will be able to avail the account-wide discount if all of the slots are filled with top-quality equipment.