10 Misconceptions Your Boss Holds Concerning Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases the item level by +3. A random additional substat is also added to every upgrade.
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). Upgrades are less valuable for those with higher variance due to the need to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade gear to a higher level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any kind of armor or weapons. The item used to upgrade item the item level Upgrade will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enchantments.
The upgrader is located in every major city, and can be accessed anytime to upgrade your gear. To keep your gear current, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each few weeks.
The cost of upgrading will vary based on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded however, they will always be less expensive than purchasing new gear from other sources. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are functional items which can be used to level up weapons and tools, armor and other accessories. They can be purchased by players through item upgrader NPCs in exchange for different currencies, and can 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 item's next upgrade level if there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot for the item upgrader kit and the current level of the item. For instance weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades give a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items which include the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases depending on the amount of items being upgraded, and can be increased by having players complete specific achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the beginning unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades must be acquired through various methods that are both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system was modified a bit, and numerous new features added. After the player has upgraded to a certain level of item for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same item level will cost less. This is true even if those items are from an entirely different set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade items is cut as well, but is only available when certain milestones are reached.
Crests
When upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a variety of options. Flightstones are an item that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system, which was introduced in 10.1, and come in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests are only able to be spent on equipment of a particular rank, and every rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade requires up to 20 crests, contingent on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing content at the appropriate level. This could be done by engaging in outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in all difficulties to get lower-level gear or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. These crests are then exchanged with an item upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and routes.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too complicated however, the system will introduce a few modifications to the upgrade process. For example, once an item is at the highest upgrade level of 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 get their equipment to the highest level possible on all their characters, rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests wisely, as they have only one purpose. For instance it's best to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests with the best equipment available and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning on making. This is particularly applicable to trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character that will be able to avail the account-wide discount if all of the slots are full of high-quality equipment.