Five Killer Quora Answers On Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you boost in specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by +3. Each upgrade also boosts a random substat.
The upgraded gear typically has a greater value for trade as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or a very high stat variance (like Eth titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item level Upgrade upgrader enables players to upgrade gear to a higher level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. However, the item that is used for the upgrade will remain in use for a long time and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can be used to create Enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in all major cities and is accessible at any time to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader at least once every couple of weeks to ensure that your equipment is up-to-date.
The cost of upgrades will depend on the current level of the gear being upgraded however, they will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment from other sources. For example upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points while buying a similar item upgrade from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for tools, armor, weapon and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased from NPCs of item upgraders for a variety of currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any tool, weapon, or armor. The button will show the item's next level of upgrade, if there are enough materials.
The upgrade cost depends on the item slot and the current level of the item and the weapon's price is higher than gloves or bracers for example. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with certain upgrades having a discount to lower the cost of the Flightstones or the crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items which include the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players finish certain achievements or quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II, there is no upgrader for items at the start of Icewind Dale. Instead the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades require several methods, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with several new features added. After a player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This is even if the items come from another set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
Players have several options when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests can only be used on gear of a specific rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for upgrading. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, depending on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through content at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities, or by completing dungeons and raids in any difficulty to earn lower-level gear or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for endgame gear. These crests can be exchanged with an upgrader such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade items steps and paths.
Using these new currencies isn't too complicated however, the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade item process. For instance, when an item is at the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it will no longer require Flightstones to be upgraded. This allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl on all of their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another important change is that crests only have one usage, so it's important to use them properly. It's best to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the highest-quality gear you can locate, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next round of upgrades. This is particularly applicable to rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character that will be able to avail the account-wide discount when all of the slots are full of high-quality gear.