Why We Love Item Upgrade And You Should Too
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades provide a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of the item by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless the item has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (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 upgrader for items allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any type of weapon or armor. The item upgrader mod used to upgrade items the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can be used to create the enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and is accessible anytime to upgrade your equipment. To keep your gear up-to-date, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every few weeks.
The cost of upgrades will be based on the current item level of the gear being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than buying new equipment from other sources. For example, upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points, while purchasing the same item from a different player will cost 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 to item owners for a variety of currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased, it can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor using a button, which will display a preview of the item upgrader mod at the next upgrade level when the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the slot of the item and the current level of the item, with weapons costing more than bracers or gloves, for instance. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with certain upgrades having a discount 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.
Many locations have upgraders for their items, including the main Island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and a chance to obtain the latest recipe. The upgrade discount increases according to the number of items that are being upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete some specific achievements or quests.
Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no upgrader for items at the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are only available via a variety of ways. This is both a benefit and a drawback.
In Season 3, many new features were added to the upgrade system. After an upgrade has been completed to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level will cost less. This is true even if those items come from an entirely different set of gear.
The discount applies to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is reduced as well, but is only available when certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW players have a few choices. Flightstones are an Item Level Upgrade that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more special, and are used during specific item upgrade level upgrades. Crests are an important element of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests can only be used to purchase equipment that is of a particular rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, contingent on the kind of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of all difficulties for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for gear that is used in the endgame. The crests can later be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, however it will bring some changes to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it no longer requires Flightstones. This is to allow players to get their equipment to the highest ilvl possible for all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests with care, since they are only used for one purpose. For instance, it's best to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests with the best equipment available and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan to create. This is particularly relevant for items like trinkets and rings that take up several slots. The discount on the account is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with high-quality equipment.