WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boosts in specific statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also boosts the random substatus.
The upgraded gear is usually more useful, unless the item is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as valuable for those with lower requirements because of the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader enables players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. However, the item that is used for the upgrade will remain in use for a long time and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enchantments.
The upgrader is located in every major city, and is accessible anytime to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks, to ensure that your equipment is up-to-date.
The cost of upgrades will be based on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded, but will always be cheaper than buying new gear from other sources. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that are used to upgrade weapons tools, armor, and accessories. They are purchased by players through NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any weapon, tool, or armor. button, which will show a preview of the item at the next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the slot of the item and the current item level and the weapon's price is higher than bracers or gloves, for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of the two currencies.
Item upgraders can be found at many locations, including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and a chance to obtain a new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players complete certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the beginning unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only accessible through a variety of methods. This is both a benefit and a disadvantage.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and some new features added. After an upgrade has been completed to a certain item level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same level will cost less. This is even if the items come from a different set of gear.
The discount is available to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced also, but is only available after certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading gear in WoW, players have a variety of options. They can use Flightstones, which are a general upgrade currency available to all, or crests, which are more specialized and consumed during upgrades on specific item levels. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1, and come in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be used to purchase equipment that is of a particular rank, and every rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, contingent on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing content at the appropriate level. This could be done by doing outdoor activities or doing dungeons or raids in all difficulty levels to obtain lower-level gear or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons that have a high difficulty for gear in the endgame. The crests can later be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
Using these new currencies isn't too complicated however, the system does introduce some changes to the overall upgrade process. Once a piece of gear attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest level possible on all of their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another important modification is that crests have one usage and it's crucial to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance, it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the best equipment available and keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning to make. This is especially applicable to trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character which can only be eligible to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all slots are filled with high-quality gear.