10 Things Everyone Hates About Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give you an increase in specific statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also increases the random substatus.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless the item has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like the eth Titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as useful for those with lower requirements because of the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied on 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 at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader once every few weeks to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
Upgrades will cost more depending on the item level, however they'll always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase weapons, armor, tools, and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players from NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any tool, weapon, or armor. The button will display the preview of an item level upgrade's next upgrade level when there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the slot of the item level upgrade and the current level of the item and the weapon's price is higher than gloves or bracers for instance. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with some upgrades having a discount to lower the cost of the Flightstones or crests used. After an item has been upgraded to a certain degree it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Many locations offer item upgraders, including the main Island and some outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon and a possibility of getting an entirely new recipe. The discount for upgrades increases with the number of items being upgraded. It is also possible to be boosted by having players complete specific achievements or complete 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 through a variety means. This is both a benefit as well as a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was modified a bit, and several new features added. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a specific level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading further items to that same item level will be less expensive, even in the event that they belong to a different gear set.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players reach certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
Players have a number of options when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1, and come in four 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 complex upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, contingent on the type of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing content of the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of all difficulties for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and pathways.
The use of these currencies isn't too difficult, but the system will introduce a few modifications to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it no longer requires Flightstones. This change lets players upgrade their equipment to the highest level possible on all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another significant change is that crests only have one usage and it's crucial to use them properly. It's best to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the Best item upgrader gear you can find and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is especially relevant for rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character which can only be eligible to benefit from the account-wide discount when all of the slots are filled with high-quality gear.