14 Common Misconceptions About Item Upgrade

WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades can give you an increase in certain stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by +3. A random substat is also increased with every upgrade.

Upgraded gear is generally more useful, unless the item has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like Eth Titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the necessity to roll to get a perfect version.

Recycle Points

The item upgrader enables players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. However, the item that is used to upgrade item will be consumed for the duration of time and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create enhancements.

The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and can be accessed at any time to upgrade your gear. To keep your gear current it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each few weeks.

Upgrades will cost more depending on the item level, however they'll always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment. For example upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points while purchasing the same item from another player will cost 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that are used to improve the quality of weapons, tools, armor, and accessories. Players can purchase them through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for a variety of currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade item is able to be applied to any weapon, tool or armor. The button will show a preview of an item's next level of upgrade, when there are enough materials.

The cost of upgrades varies based on the slot of the item and the current item level and the weapon's price is higher than gloves or bracers, for example. Each upgrade item cost 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on 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 both currency types.

Item upgraders can be found at many locations on the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and the chance to obtain a new recipe. The discount for upgrading increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players complete certain achievements or complete quests.

Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the start, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. Instead the NPCs that can be used to upgrade are acquired via a variety of means that are both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.

In Season 3 the upgrade system was modified a bit, and several new features added. When a player has an upgrade to a specific level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level will cost less even if they are part of an entirely different set of gear.

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

Crests

Players have a variety of choices when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more special and are utilized during specific Item Level upgrade level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.

The first thing to remember is that the crests can only be purchased for equipment of a certain rank. Each rank comes with a different upgrade path. The most basic and straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the more complex one may require as many as 20 crests based on the type of equipment being upgraded.

Players can earn crests by working through content at the appropriate level. This could be done by doing outdoor activities, or by completing dungeons and raids in any difficulty to earn lower-tier gear or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons with heroic difficulty to obtain endgame gear. These crests can be exchanged with an upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and paths.

The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, but it does bring some changes to the upgrade process. For instance, when an item reaches 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 is to allow players to upgrade their equipment up to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.

It's also crucial to choose crests wisely, as they have only one purpose. It is recommended to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the top-quality equipment you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly relevant for items like rings and trinkets that occupy multiple slots. The discount on the account will only apply when all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality gear.