WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of the item by +3. A random substat is also increased with every upgrade.
The more modernized gear generally has a higher trade value as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or has a high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as valuable for those with higher variance due to the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item that is used for the upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create the enchantments.
The upgrader is located in every major city, and can be visited at any time to upgrade your gear. 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'll always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment. For example upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points, while purchasing the same item from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for weapons, armor, tools, and accessory upgrades. Players can purchase them from item upgraders NPCs for various currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased, it can be used on any weapon or tool with an The button will show the item's next level of upgrade, when there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the slot of the item and the current level of the item and the weapon's price is higher than bracers or gloves, for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of the two currencies.
Upgraders for items are available in many places on the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount as well as a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrading increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs who can facilitate upgrades are only accessible through a variety means. This is both a benefit and an issue.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with some new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a specific level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading further items to that same item level will cost less even if they are part of a different gear set.
The discount is available to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players have reached certain achievement milestones.
Crests
Players have several options for upgrading their gear in WoW. They can use Flightstones that are a general upgrade currency that is accessible to all players, or crests, which are more specific and consumed during upgrades at specific item levels. Crests are an important part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that the crests can only be purchased for gear that is of a particular rank. Each rank has an upgrade path that is different. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, contingent on the type or equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing content at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of all difficulties to get lower-level gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
The use of these currencies isn't that difficult, but the system will introduce a few modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece of equipment attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it no longer requires Flightstones. This change is designed to allow players to get their equipment up to the highest ilvl possible for all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
Another significant modification is that crests have one purpose, so it's important to use them properly. For instance, it's best to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the top equipment available, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning to create. This is particularly true for items such as trinkets and rings that fill several slots. The discount on the account will only be applicable if all the slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.