The Advanced Guide To Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of the item by +3. A random substat is also added to each upgrade.
Upgraded gear generally sees higher trade value, unless it has inherently 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 need to roll to get a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by giving the currency to an 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 the enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every few weeks.
The cost of upgrading will vary based on the current level of the item level upgrade being upgraded, but will always be cheaper than buying new equipment from other sources. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item upgrader kit will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that can be used to upgrade weapons tools, armor, and accessories. They can be purchased by players through NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be used on any tool, weapon, or armor. The button will display the preview of an item's next level of upgrade, when there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the item slot, and the current level of the item. For example weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain degree, it can be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currency types.
Upgraders for items can be found at many locations including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrading increases when more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the beginning unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades require various methods that are both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade system. Once an upgrade items has been completed to a certain level of item for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This is true regardless of whether the items are from a different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade item is cut as well, but is only available once certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW players have a variety of choices. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized, and are used 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 available for gear that is of a particular rank. Each rank comes with a different upgrade path. The most basic and straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the more complex one may require as many as 20 crests depending on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through finishing tasks at the appropriate level. This could be by doing outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of any difficulty to earn equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons with heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and paths.
The new currency system isn't complicated to use, but it will bring some changes to the process of upgrading. For instance, when an item reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change is designed to allow players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters, rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
Another significant change is that crests have one use therefore it's essential to use them properly. For instance, it's Best item upgrader to utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests on the Best item upgrade equipment available, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning to make. This is particularly relevant for items like trinkets and rings that take up multiple slots. The discount for the entire account is only applicable when all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.