World of Warcraft Item Upgrades
The upgrade of an item can be used to improve the stats of an item. Depending on the upgrade type it can increase an item's Mark Level or Rarity and boost additional stats.
Upgrading equipment in The War Within requires a specified number of Flightstones and Crests, and each item has an upgrade track. Each upgrade increases the cost of the following one by a set amount.
Item Level
The value of an item's base stats increases as it is upgraded. The value is the sum of all of an item's leveled-up perks (attack magic attack and defense). Upgrades can be expensive depending on the person you hire and what you do. This is due to how many perks have to be replaced in order for the item to be upgraded.
It can also be used as a gating requirement while queueing for dungeons, raids and scenarios. It also serves to determine a gating condition when waiting for dungeons, raids and scenarios, and to limit the amount of PvP gear that a player can wear (since PvP is limited to an lower level). The average level of the item can be found on the character sheet.
When deciding whether to buy or sell equipment players can evaluate the levels of the item. It's a measure of the item's condition and quality. Comparing items in the inventory of a vendor is possible using the item's level.
On PC, you can view the item level by pressing ALT or by using the left stick on XB1 or PS4. This will show the item's full description, including the ilvl. It is also accessible by hovering over an Best item upgrade using the mouse cursor and typing /itemlevel into chat.
There are a variety of theories on the method by which the level of an item is determined. One theory is that the level is a number derived from a formula that determines the amount an item's stats are worth. It takes into consideration that different perks are valued differently, and that gems found in sockets increase the item's value. This process could result in a calculated amount for the item's ilvl which is typically close to Blizzard's actual item level.
This isn't the only factor that affects the value of an item. The degree of the area in which the item dropped can also alter its stats. For example it can add a level to the item's haste or crit rating. This means that items that drop at higher levels will have more value than items dropped in lower-level instances.
Item Stats
Item stats can determine the fate of an item for players. The game makes use of them in various ways to encourage players not to restrict themselves to a particular weapon and to motivate players to explore other weapons. The stat mods of an weapon increase the base stats. These stat mods are then enhanced by a player's skill.
The upgrades to an item can increase its stats. The cost of upgrades is determined by the rarity of the item. An item that is white or grey for instance, will only be upgraded once however, items that has rare tiers can be upgraded multiple times with higher prices.
Affixes can also be used to change an item's stats. They are stat boosters that can be added by the player to an item. The affixes can be used to provide items with extra damage or special capabilities (such as reviving dead or reducing cooling downs), or to make them unique by adding a name.
Currently, all affixes can be changed by selecting them from the upgrade window and pressing the green button using circling arrows. It will cost a set amount in gold and items. These can be used as upgrade gauges as with other rerolling methods.
In addition to the possibility of rerolling affixes, players may select which stats they want to keep on an item after it is upgraded. The possible stat ranges for an item are based on the level of the item, but all items are guaranteed to have at minimum one stat within the range, unless it's an exclusive item or an item that is a God roll from a boss of a raid.
Another thing that could change is the possibility to upgrade equipment without having to reroll attaches, or select which stats to increase. However, as with the base equipment, this would have to be performed on a per-item basis and the item compare interface wouldn't show all possible stats gained or lost at once.
Item Luck
The Luck stat of a player boosts the probability of obtaining items as well as the properties spawned by loot and the intensity of these properties. It does not, however directly impact damage or the ability to upgrade items. It gives players a possibility to obtain better gear in earlier waves, and is therefore more valuable in the initial game run than in later ones, as most players prioritize higher weapon scaling and defenses over damage gains.
In addition to influencing the discovery of items, Luck also increases the probability of success when upgrading items using the Blacksmith. This is not to be confused with the Blacksmith's overall upgrade chance that increases with each level and can be further enhanced by using an anti-material such as a Scroll of Strength or a Jewel of Blessing.
Armor, shields and weapons can be made or spawn using the Luck property, which has a default value of 40. These items can then be enhanced with golden ingots, spined leather, or oak boards (depending on the item's material type) to give +40 Luck or to increase the Luck of an item up to 140.
Furthermore, certain items, such as the Hollow weapon, which is infused with Hollow can be used to increase the damage of any damage-dealing skill by 5percent. These items are available in the shops or made using the right ingredients.
Item Failure
Not all upgrades work. However, there are cash shop items which allow players to increase their chances of success or even prevent them from losing an item if the upgrade is unsuccessful.
The success rate of an upgrade is shown in the Honing UI. The percentage represents the likelihood of successfully upgrading the item. This can be increased with Additional Materials or Special Materials. There are limitations on how much the success rates can be improved and the chance of an upgrade failing can't exceed 100%.
The performance of an can be affected by the Luck of that Best item upgrade. Every item has an average success rate of 25 percent and every item with Luck increases this chance by five percent.
It is important to note that upgrade items are rendered above the inventory items which means that enchantment glints and other effects can be obscured by the overlays. If you wish to disable the upgrade overlays, the config option decoration.renderUpgradeOverlays can be set to False in the Item Upgrader CORE client config.