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WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a an increase in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
Upgraded gear generally sees greater value for trade as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or very high stat variance (like Eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as useful for the latter because of the requirement to roll 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 kind of weapon or armor. However, the item that is used for the upgrade will be consumed forever and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be used to create the enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and can be accessed at any time to upgrade your equipment. To keep your gear current it is recommended you visit the upgrader each couple of weeks.
The cost of upgrading will be based on the current item level of the gear being upgraded however, they will always be cheaper than buying new equipment from other sources. For instance, upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points while buying a similar item from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade tools, armor, weapon, and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players from NPCs of item upgrade upgraders for a variety of currencies. They can also find them in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor. The button will show the item's next upgrade level, in the event that there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot for the item and the current item level. For instance weapons cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level and is degraded, it can be sold and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currency types.
Upgraders for items are available in a variety of locations including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and a chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases when more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no upgrader for items available in the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only available via a variety of ways. This is both a positive and an issue.
In Season 3, a number of new features have been added to the upgrade system. When a player has an upgrade to a certain item level for a particular armor slot, upgrading additional items to the same level will cost less, 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 account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is cut too, but it is only available once certain milestones are reached.
Crests
Players have a number of choices when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are used for specific item Level Upgrade level upgrades. Crests are an integral component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests can only be spent on equipment of a particular rank, and each rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, contingent on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through content at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in all difficulties to get lower-level gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with a heroic difficulty to obtain endgame gear. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, but it will bring some changes to the upgrade process. For instance, when an item upgrader kit is at the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic), it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change is intended to allow players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests in a wise manner, as they are only used for one purpose. For instance, it's a good idea utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests with the Best item upgrade equipment available and keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you plan on making. This is particularly true for items like rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character which will only be able to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all slots are full of high-quality equipment.