20 Things You Need To Know About Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item level upgrade Upgrader
Upgrades can give you an increase in specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. A random substat is also added to each upgrade.
The upgraded gear typically has a higher trade value as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variation (like the eth titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapon. However, the item used for the upgrade will remain in use for a long time and will not be able to be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks, to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
Upgrades will cost more depending on the item level, but they will always be cheaper than buying new equipment. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest up to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item upgrade will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade weapons, armor, tools, and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players from NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for different currencies, and can also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be used on any weapon or tool with an button, which will display an image of the item at its next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the item slot, and the current item level. For instance weapons are more expensive than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of Flightstones or crests used. After an item has been upgraded to a certain degree and is degraded, it can be sold and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currency types.
Many locations offer item upgraders in addition to the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and a chance to get a brand new upgrade item recipe. The upgrade discount increases as more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no item upgrader available at the start of Icewind Dale. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are available only through a variety of methods. This is both a benefit and a disadvantage.
In Season 3, a number of new features have been added to the upgrade system. After a player has earned an upgrade 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 a different gear set.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is reduced also, but is only available once certain milestones are reached.
Crests
When upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a variety of choices. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are an important part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
First, you should know that crests are only available for equipment of a certain rank. Each rank has a different upgrade path. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade requires up to 20 crests, based on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by finishing content at the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons of all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for endgame gear. These crests can be exchanged with an upgrader such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and routes.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it brings some modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece of equipment has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it no longer requires Flightstones. This change is intended to allow players to get their equipment to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters, instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
Another notable modification is that crests have one use and it's crucial to use them wisely. It's best to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the Best item upgrade gear you can find and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next round of upgrades. This is particularly true for items like rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character, that will be able to avail the account-wide discount when all slots are filled with top-quality gear.