WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades will give you a boost to specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.

The upgraded gear typically has a higher trade value regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or a very high stat variance (like Eth titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the necessity to roll for a perfect version.

Recycle Points

The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an 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 be applied to the enchantments.

The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and can be visited at any time to upgrade your equipment. To keep your gear current it is recommended you visit the upgrader each couple of weeks.

The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current level of the equipment being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item upgrader kit will cost you 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase weapon, armor, tool and accessory upgrades. They can be bought by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be applied to any tool, weapon or armor. button, which displays an item's preview at the next upgrade level when the player has enough materials.

The cost of upgrades varies based on the item slot and the current level of the item, with weapons costing more than bracers or gloves, for instance. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of Flightstones or crests that are used. After an item upgrade has been upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.

Many locations have upgraders for their items which include the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon as well as the possibility of getting an entirely new recipe. The discount on upgrades increases as more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.

Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no upgrader for items at the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are available only through a variety means. This is both a benefit and a drawback.

In Season 3, the upgrade system was modified a bit, and numerous new features added. After a player has upgraded to a certain item level for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same Item Level upgrade level, will cost less. This is even if those items are from a different set of gear.

The discount is applicable to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players reach certain milestones in their achievements.

Crests

Players have a number of options when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more special and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1 and are available in 4 ranks.

The first thing to remember is that crests are only able to be used to purchase gear of a specific rank, and each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the most complex can require as much as 20 crests, based on the type of gear being upgraded.

Players can earn crests through finishing tasks at the appropriate level. This could be by engaging in outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of all difficulty levels to obtain equipment of lower tier or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons that have a high difficulty to obtain endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader for the item like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken to upgrade the item upgrader mod in the proper steps and routes.

The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it will bring some changes to the upgrade item process. For example, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest upgrade level of any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change lets players upgrade their equipment to the highest possible level on all of their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.

It's also essential to use crests with care, since they are only used for one purpose. It's best to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the top-quality equipment you can locate, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly applicable to items like trinkets and rings that take up several slots. The discount on the account will only be applicable if all slots on the character are filled with high-quality gear.