WoW Upgrades – The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you an increase in certain statistics. Each upgrade increases the item level by +3. Each upgrade also increases the random substatus.
The more modernized gear generally has a more value in trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or a very high stat variation (like Eth titan weapons). Upgrades are not as valuable for the latter because of the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapons. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can’t be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create the enchantments.
The upgrader is located in every major city, and can be accessed at any time to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks, to keep your equipment up to date.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the item however, they are always less expensive than purchasing new gear. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item upgrader kit, it will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items which can be used to level up weapons and tools, armor and other items. They can be bought by players through item upgrader NPCs in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any weapon, tool or armor. The button will show the item’s next level of upgrade item, in the event that there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the item upgrader kit slot and the current item level as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than bracers or gloves, for instance. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Certain upgrades provide a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain degree, it can be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currency types.
Best item upgrader upgraders can be found in a variety of locations on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players complete certain achievements or quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur’s Gate II there is no item upgrader available at the start of Icewind Dale. Instead the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades are acquired via a variety of means that are both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with several new features added. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a specific level of an item for a specific 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 amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
When upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a couple of choices. They can choose to use Flightstones, which are a common upgrade currency available to all players, or crests, which are more specialized and are consumed during upgrades on specific levels of the item upgrade. Crests are an important component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to be aware of is that crests can only be used to purchase equipment of a particular rank, and each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade process costs just 15 crests while the most complicated may require as many as 20 crests depending on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing content of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of any difficulty for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an item upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade item the item in the proper steps and paths.
The new currency system isn’t difficult to use, but it will bring some changes to the process of upgrading. Once a piece of gear attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change is designed to allow players to get their equipment to the highest level possible on all their characters, instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
Another notable modification is that crests have one purpose, so it’s important to use them wisely. It is recommended to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the top-quality equipment you can locate, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set 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 account-wide discount when all slots are filled with top-quality gear.