14 Misconceptions Commonly Held About Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases item level by 3. A random substat is also increased with every upgrade.
The more modernized gear generally has a higher trade value, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or very high stat variance (like Eth titan weapons). These types of gear get 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 item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to Enchantments.
The upgrader is located in all major cities, and can be visited anytime to upgrade your gear. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended you visit the upgrader each few weeks.
The cost of upgrading will be based on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded however, they will always be less expensive than purchasing new gear from other sources. For example upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points, while buying a similar item from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that are used to upgrade weapons and tools, armor and other items. They can be purchased by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any tool, weapon or armor. button, which displays an image of the item at its next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot for the item and the current item level. For example weapons are more expensive than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain level it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items in addition to the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases with the number of items that are being upgraded. It can also be increased by requiring players to complete specific achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item level Upgrade upgrader at the start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades must be acquired through a variety of means that are both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with numerous new features added. Once the player has upgraded to a certain item level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level will cost less. This applies even if those items are from another set of equipment.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced as well, but is only available once certain milestones are reached.
Crests
Players have a variety of choices when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an integral component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests are only able to be used on equipment that is of a particular rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for upgrading. The most basic and straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the more complex one may require as many as 20 crests, based on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, which involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons with any difficulty for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons to obtain endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an upgrader for the item, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and paths.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it does bring some changes to the process of upgrading. 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 gear to the highest possible ilvl on all of their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable modification is that crests have one use and it's crucial to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance, it's a good idea to utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests on the Best item upgrader gear you have available, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning on making. This is especially applicable to trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character, which can only be eligible to take advantage of the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are filled with top-quality equipment.