WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also boosts the random substatus.
The more modernized gear generally has a higher trade value, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or a very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the requirement to roll to get a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item that is used to upgrade will remain in use for a long time and can't be used again. Upgrades can be applied to 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.
Upgrades will cost more depending on the level of the item, however they'll always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items which can be used to improve the quality of weapons tools, armor, and accessories. Players can purchase them from NPCs of item upgraders for a variety of currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be applied to any tool, weapon, or armor. button, which will show an image of the item when it is upgraded in the event that the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot of the item and the current level of the item. For example weapons cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Item upgraders can be found in many places, including the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount as well as a chance to obtain a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded, and can be increased by having players complete some specific achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades are acquired via various methods, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, a number of new features have been added to the upgrade system. 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 is even if those items are from another set of gear.
The discount applies to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a variety of choices. They can choose to use Flightstones which are a common upgrade currency that is available to all, or crests, which are more specialized and consumed during upgrades on specific levels of items. Crests are an important part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests are only able to be used on gear of a specific rank, and each rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The most basic and straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the more complex one can require as much as 20 crests depending on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing content at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities, or by taking on dungeons and raids of all difficulty levels to obtain lower-level gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with heroic difficulty to obtain endgame gear. These crests can then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
item upgrading isn't too difficult to use, but it does bring some changes to the upgrade process. For instance, when 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 is to allow players to get their equipment up to the highest ilvl possible for all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
Another significant change is that crests have one purpose therefore it's essential to use them wisely. For instance it's a good idea make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the best equipment you have, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you plan to make. This is especially true for items such as rings and trinkets that occupy multiple slots. The discount for the entire account is only applicable when all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality gear.