WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boosts in specific stats. Each upgrade increases item level by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
Upgraded gear is generally more useful, unless the item upgrades has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a high variance in stats (like eth Titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create Enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in every major city, and can be accessed at any time to upgrade your gear. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader once every few weeks to keep your equipment up-to-date.
The cost of upgrades will be based on the current level of the equipment being upgraded however, they will always be cheaper than purchasing new gear from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that are used to improve the quality of weapons, tools, armor, and accessories. They can be purchased through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for a variety of currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor. button, which will show a preview of the item when it is upgraded if the player has sufficient materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot of the item level upgrade - additional resources - and the current item level. For instance weapons cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades give a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level and is degraded, it can be sold and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currency types.
Upgraders for items can be found in a variety of locations including the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon and a possibility of obtaining the latest recipe. The discount for upgrading increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players complete certain achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrades upgrader at beginning unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades are acquired via several methods which is both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with numerous new features added. Once the player has upgraded to a certain level of item for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same item level, will cost less. This applies even if those items are from an entirely different set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones required to upgrade is reduced and the discount is available across all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players reach certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
Players have several choices when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an important component of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests are only able to be used on gear of a specific rank, and each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the more complex one can require as much as 20 crests depending on the type of equipment 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, dungeons or raids of all difficulty for items of higher tier, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for gear that is used 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 brings some modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, once a piece of equipment reaches the highest upgrade level of 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 upgrade their equipment to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
Another important modification is that crests have one use and it's crucial to make use of them in a responsible manner. For instance, it's a good idea to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the top equipment available, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning on making. This is particularly applicable to trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character which will only be able to benefit from the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are full of high-quality gear.