WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a an increase in certain statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of the item by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
The upgraded gear typically has a greater value for trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variation (like Eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as important for the latter due to the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapon. However, the item level upgrade (mouse click for source) used for the upgrade items will be consumed forever and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to the enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear current it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks.
The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded however, they will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment from other sources. 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 tools, armor, weapon, and accessory upgrades. They are purchased by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for a variety of currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be applied to any weapon or tool with a button, which will display a preview of the item at its next upgrade level when the player has enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the slot of the item and the current item upgrader mod level as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than gloves or bracers, for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree 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 a variety of locations on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases depending on the amount of items being upgraded. It is also possible to be boosted by requiring players to complete specific 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 who can facilitate upgrades are only accessible through a variety of methods. This is both a positive and a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with several new features added. After an upgrade has been completed to a specific level for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same item upgrading level will cost less. This applies even if those items come from a different set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is cut also, but is only available once certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have a number 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 specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1, and come in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that Crests are only available to gear with a certain rank. Each rank comes with an upgrade path that is different. The most basic and straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complex may require as many as 20 crests depending on the kind of gear being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing tasks at the appropriate level. This could be done by doing outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of all difficulties to get lower-tier gear or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons that have a high difficulty for gear in the endgame. The crests can then be exchanged with an upgrader for the item such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and pathways.
The new currency system isn't complicated to use, however it does bring some modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't need Flightstones to be upgraded. This change is intended to allow players to get their equipment up to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters rather than relying solely on seasonal loot.
Another significant change is that crests have one use and it's crucial to use them properly. It is recommended to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the best gear that you can find, and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next round of upgrades. This is particularly applicable to items like trinkets and rings that fill multiple slots. The account-wide discount will only be applicable if all slots on the character are filled with high-quality gear.