WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades can give you boost in certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by +3. Each upgrade also boosts an unspecified substat.

Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless it has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like eth Titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the necessity to roll for a perfect model.

Recycle Points

The item upgrader allows players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. The Item Level Upgrade used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enchantments.

You can upgrade your gear anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear current, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every few weeks.

The cost of upgrades will depend 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 such as upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are useful items that can be used to upgrade weapons tools, armor, and other items. They can be purchased through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for various currencies. They can also find them 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 level of upgrade, if there are enough materials.

Upgrade costs differ based on the slot for the item and the current level of the item. For instance weapons cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of the Flightstones or the crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.

Item upgraders can be found in many places, including the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon as well as the chance to obtain an entirely new recipe. The upgrade discount increases according to the number of items being upgraded. It can also be boosted by requiring players to complete specific achievements or quests.

Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are only available via a variety of ways. This is both a benefit as well as a disadvantage.

In Season 3 the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and numerous new features added. When a player has an upgrade item to a specific level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading further items to that level will be less expensive, even in the event that they are part of another set of gear.

The discount is applicable to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievement.

Crests

When upgrading gear in WoW, players have a variety of options. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more special and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1 and are available in 4 ranks.

The first thing to note is that crests are only able to be spent on equipment that is of a particular rank, and that each rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, based on the type or gear being upgraded.

Players can earn crests by finishing content at the appropriate level. This could be by doing outdoor activities, or by completing dungeons and raids in all difficulties to get lower-level gear or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons that have a high difficulty for gear in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.

The use of these currencies isn't too difficult, but the system does introduce some modifications to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest possible ilvl on all of their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.

Another important modification is that crests have one usage, so it's important to use them wisely. It is best to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the Best item upgrader gear you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is especially relevant for items like rings and trinkets that occupy multiple slots. The discount on the account will only apply when all slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.