WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of the item by +3. A random extra substat is also added to every upgrade.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless the item is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like Eth Titan weapons). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the necessity to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by offering 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 used to create the enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks to keep your equipment up-to-date.
The cost of upgrades will depend on the current item level of the item being upgraded but they will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for tools, armor, weapon and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for a variety of currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be used on any weapon or tool with a button, which will display a preview of the item when it is upgraded if the player has sufficient materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot for the item and the current item level. For example weapons cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with certain upgrades having a discount to reduce the cost of Flightstones or crests that are used. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain level it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Upgraders for items can be found in a variety of locations on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrading increases when more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.
Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no item upgrader available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are only available through a variety of methods. This is both a positive and an issue.
In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade system. When a player has an upgrade to a specific level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading further items to the same level will be less expensive, even if they are part of a different gear set.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced as well, but is only available once certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have a variety of options when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. They can use Flightstones, which are a common upgrade currency that is accessible to all players, or crests that are more specific and consumed during upgrades at specific item levels. Crests are an important 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 available to equipment that is with a certain rank. Each rank comes with distinct upgrade paths. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complex can require as much as 20 crests based on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Resource can earn crests through finishing content at the appropriate level, which means walking around and doing outdoor activities for lower-tier gear, raids or dungeons of all difficulties for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons to obtain endgame gear. The crests can later be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it will bring some 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 won't need Flightstones to be upgraded. This change allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest level possible on all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests with care, since they are only used for one purpose. For instance, it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the best equipment you have and then save Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you plan to create. This is particularly applicable to rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character, that will be able to take advantage of the discount for all accounts when all slots are full of high-quality gear.