Indisputable Proof That You Need Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The item level Upgrade Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of the item by +3. Each upgrade also boosts the random substatus.
The upgraded gear is usually more useful, unless the item level upgrade has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a high variance in stats (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 allows players to upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can be applied to Enchantments.
The upgrader is located in every major city, and can be visited anytime to upgrade your gear. To keep your gear up-to-date it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each several weeks.
Upgrades can cost more based on the item level, however, they are always cheaper than buying new gear. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest up to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade weapons tools, armor, and other accessories. They can be purchased by players through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for various currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased, it can be used on any weapon or tool with a button, which will show an item's preview when it is upgraded if the player has sufficient materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the item slot, and the current level of the item. For instance, weapons will cost more than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of Flightstones or the crests used. After an item has been upgraded to a certain amount it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Upgraders for items are available at many locations on the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade item discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade items recipe. The discount for upgrades increases depending on the amount of items being upgraded, and can be boosted by requiring players to complete specific achievements or complete 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 facilitate upgrades are acquired via a variety of means, which is both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was modified a bit, and numerous new features added. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a specific item level for a particular armor slot, upgrading further items to that same item level will cost less, even if they belong to a different gear set.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is account-wide. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players reach certain achievement milestones.
Crests
Players have a number of options when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an integral part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests are only able to be used on equipment that is of a particular rank, and every rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade item is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, based on the type or equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing content of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons with any difficulty for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, however it brings some modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, once 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 is to allow players to upgrade their equipment to the highest level possible on all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests wisely, as they only have one use. For instance, it's best to utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests on the best gear you have available and keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you plan to make. This is especially relevant for rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character that will be able to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all slots are filled with top-quality gear.