The Advanced Guide To Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the item level by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
The upgraded gear typically has a higher trade value, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or very high stat variation (like Eth titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the necessity to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be made on any type of weapon or armor. However, the item used for the upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enhancements.
You can upgrade your gear anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks to keep your equipment up-to-date.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the item level, but they will always be less expensive than purchasing new gear. For instance upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points while purchasing the same item from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items which can be used to level up weapons, tools, armor, and accessories. They can be purchased by players from NPCs of item upgrade upgraders in a variety of currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be used on any weapon, tool or armor. The button will display the item's next upgrade level, when there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot of the item upgrades and the current item level. For example, weapons will cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currencies.
Many locations offer item upgraders in addition to the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and a possibility of obtaining an entirely new recipe. The discount for upgrading increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item level Upgrade (sears-gallagher.federatedjournals.com) upgrader at start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades require a variety of means that are both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was tweaked a bit, with numerous new features added. When a player has an upgrade to a particular level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading other items to that same item level will be less expensive, even when they are part of a different gear set.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain achievement milestones.
Crests
Players have a number of options when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests are only available for equipment that is that is of a particular rank. Each rank comes with distinct upgrade paths. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade process costs just 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 earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities, or by completing dungeons and raids in all difficulties to get equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for endgame gear. The crests can later be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it brings some modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, once a piece of equipment 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 allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible level on all of their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests have one use and it's crucial to use them wisely. It is Best item upgrade to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the top-quality equipment you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next round of upgrades. This is especially relevant for rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character, that will be able to take advantage of the discount for all accounts when all slots are filled with high-quality equipment.