WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by +3. A random substat is also boosted alongside every upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless it has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrade r allows players to upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can be used to create the enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to visit the upgrader every few weeks, to keep your equipment up-to-date.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the item however, they are always less expensive than purchasing new gear. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for weapon, armor, tool and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players from NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor using the help of button, which will show a preview of the item when it is upgraded in the event that the player has enough materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the item slot, and the current level of the item. For example, weapons will cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain amount, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Upgraders for items are available at many locations including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and the chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases with the number of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be boosted by having players complete specific achievements or quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II, there is no upgrader for items available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only accessible via a variety of ways. This is both a positive and an issue.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been altered a bit, with some new features added. Once the player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same level will cost less. This applies regardless of whether the items are from an entirely different set of equipment.
The discount is available to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players reach certain achievement milestones.
Crests
When upgrading equipment in WoW players have a variety of choices. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specialized and are utilized during specific upgrades to the level of an item. 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 equipment with a certain rank. Each rank comes with distinct upgrade paths. The most basic and straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the most complicated can require as much as 20 crests depending on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by completing content of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and performing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests can be exchanged with an upgrader such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and pathways.
The use of these currencies isn't too complicated, but the system does introduce some modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it no longer requires Flightstones. 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 wisely, as they only have one use. It is recommended to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the highest-quality gear you can locate, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next round of upgrades. This is particularly applicable to items like rings and trinkets that occupy several slots. The account-wide discount will only apply when all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.