WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades give you boost in certain statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of the item by +3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.

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

Recycle Points

The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. The item upgrading used to upgrade the item will be consumed and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enhancements.

The upgrader is located in every major city, and can be accessed anytime to upgrade your gear. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader once every few weeks to keep your equipment up-to-date.

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

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase weapons, armor, tools and accessory upgrades. They are purchased by players from NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased, it can be used on any weapon or tool using the help of The button will display the preview of an Item Level Upgrade's next level of upgrade, when there are enough materials.

Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot for the item and the current item upgrader mod level. For example weapons are more expensive than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Certain upgrades provide discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currencies.

A lot of locations offer upgraders for items in addition to the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon and the possibility of getting an entirely new recipe. The discount on upgrades 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 item upgrader at start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only accessible through a variety means. This is both a benefit as well as a disadvantage.

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

The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players reach certain achievement milestones.

Crests

When upgrading equipment in WoW players have a couple of options. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an important component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.

The first thing to note is that crests can only be used on gear of a specific rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for upgrading. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complex requires as many as 20 crests depending on the type of gear that is being upgraded.

Players can obtain crests by completing content of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons of any difficulty for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for endgame gear. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and paths.

Utilizing these new currencies isn't too complicated however, the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade process. For instance, once an item reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible level on all their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.

It's also important to use crests wisely, as they only have one use. It is best to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the best gear you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly true for items such as trinkets and rings that take up several slots. The discount for the entire account will only be applicable if all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.