The Most Significant Issue With Item Upgrade And How You Can Fix It
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of the item by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
The more modernized gear generally has a greater value for trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or a very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as useful for those with higher variance due to the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrade upgrader allows players to upgrade items gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item that is used for the upgrade will remain in use for a long time and can't be used again. Upgrades can be used to create the enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To ensure that your equipment is up-to-date, it is recommended that you visit the upgrader each couple of weeks.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the Best item upgrader, but they will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment. For instance, upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points while buying a similar item from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase weapons, armor, tools, and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players through NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any weapon, tool, or armor. The button will display the preview of an item's next upgrade level in the event that there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot of the item and the current item level. For instance, weapons will cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. After an item has been upgraded to a certain degree, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower price.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items which include the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases according to the number of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be increased by having players complete specific achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at the beginning, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades are acquired via various methods that are both an improvement but also a drawback.
In Season 3, many new features were added to the upgrade system. After a player has earned an upgrade to a specific level of an item level Upgrade for a specific armor slot, upgrading further items to that same item level will cost less even in the event that 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 to upgrade 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 a currency that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are an integral part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests are only available for gear of a certain rank. Each rank comes with distinct upgrade paths. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, based on the type or equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through content at the appropriate level. This could be done by engaging in outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of all difficulties to get lower-tier gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. The crests can later be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it does bring some changes to the process of upgrading. For instance, once an Best item upgrader reaches the highest upgrade level of any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest level possible on all of their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests with care, since they only have one use. For instance it's a good idea make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the top gear you have available, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you plan on making. This is especially true for items like trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character which will only be able to avail the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are filled with high-quality gear.