15 Reasons To Not Be Ignoring Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by +3. A random additional substat is also boosted alongside each upgrade.
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). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the necessity to roll to get a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The Item Level Upgrade upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any kind of armor or weapons. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can 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 every few weeks to keep your equipment up to date.
The cost of upgrading will vary based on the current level of the equipment being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than purchasing new equipment from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items which can be used to level up weapons, tools, armor, and other items. They can be purchased through NPCs who sell upgrades to item level upgrade owners in 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. button, which will show an item level upgrade's preview when it is upgraded if the player has sufficient materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the item upgrading slot and current item level as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than bracers or gloves, for instance. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with certain upgrades having a discount to lower the cost of Flightstones or crests used. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currency types.
Item upgraders can be found in many places on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrading increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrading upgrader at beginning unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades must be acquired through various methods which is both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was altered a bit, with numerous new features added. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a certain item level for a particular armor slot, upgrading further items to that same item level will be less expensive, even when they are part of another set of gear.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players achieve certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
Players have a number of options when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.
First, you must be aware that crests are only available for equipment that is of a certain rank. Each rank has an upgrade path that is different. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, based on the kind of equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through tasks at the appropriate level. This could be by engaging in outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of any difficulty to earn equipment of lower tier or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. The crests can later be exchanged at an item level upgrade 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 brings some modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This is to allow players to get their equipment up to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another important change is that crests have one usage therefore it's essential to use them wisely. It is recommended to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the best gear you can locate, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly applicable to rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character which can only be eligible to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are full of high-quality gear.