WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade item boosts the item level by +3. Each upgrade also boosts a random substat.

The more modernized gear generally has a higher trade value regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or has a high stat variance (like eth titan weapons). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the necessity to roll for a perfect version.

Recycle Points

The item upgrader allows players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any type of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.

You can upgrade your equipment at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear current, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every several weeks.

The cost of upgrading will vary based on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded but they will always be cheaper than buying new gear from other sources. For example, upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points purchasing a similar piece from another player will cost 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that can be used for weapon, armor, tool, and accessory upgrades. They can be bought 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 applied to any weapon, tool, item Level upgrade or armor using a button, which displays an image of the item at the next upgrade level in the event that the player has enough materials.

The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot for the item and the current level of the item. For instance weapons cost more than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of Flightstones or crests used. After an item has been upgraded to a certain degree, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of the two currency types.

Upgraders for items are available in a variety of locations including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon and a possibility of getting an entirely new recipe. The discount on upgrades increases when more items are upgraded. It can also 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 available through a variety means. This is both a positive and an issue.

In Season 3 the upgrade system was tweaked a bit, with several new features added. After a player has upgraded to a certain Item Level upgrade level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level, will cost less. This applies regardless of whether the items are from a different set of gear.

The amount of Valorstones required to upgrade is reduced and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is cut too, but it is only available when certain milestones are achieved.

Crests

When it comes to upgrading gear in WoW, players have a few options. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1 and are available in 4 ranks.

First, you should know that Crests are only available to gear with a certain rank. Each rank has a different upgrade path. The most basic and straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the most complex can require as much as 20 crests based on the type of gear that is being upgraded.

Players can obtain crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons with all difficulty for items of higher tier, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. The crests can then be exchanged with an item level upgrade upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and pathways.

Using these new currencies isn't too difficult however, the system will introduce a few modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change is intended to allow players to get their equipment to the highest level possible for all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.

Another significant change is that crests only have one purpose, so it's important to use them properly. For instance, it's best to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests with the best equipment you have and keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning to create. This is particularly applicable to trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character which will only be able to take advantage of the account-wide discount when all slots are full of high-quality gear.