WoW Upgrades – The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a an increase in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases item level by +3. A random substat is also increased with each upgrade.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless it is not required by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like Eth Titan weapons). Upgrades are less useful for those with lower requirements due to the need to roll the perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade items their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. The item level upgrade (istartw.Lineageinc.com) used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create Enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks, to keep your equipment up to date.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the item upgrader kit level, however, they are always cheaper than buying new gear. For instance, upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points while purchasing the same item from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for tools, armor, weapon and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players from NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be used on any weapon or tool with an The button will show the preview of an item’s next upgrade level, if there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the item slot, and the current item level. For instance, weapons will cost more than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with certain upgrades having a discount to reduce the cost of the Flightstones or crests that are used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain amount, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.
Many locations offer item upgraders in addition to the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and the chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases according to the number of items being upgraded, and can be boosted by having players complete specific achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at start unlike Cromwell from Baldur’s Gate II. Instead, the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades are acquired via a variety of means that are both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3, several new features were added to the upgrade system. After a player has upgraded to a certain item level for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same item level, will cost less. This is even if the items are from another set of gear.
The amount of Valorstones required for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is cut as well, but is only available after certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW players have a variety of options. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests are only able to be spent on gear of a specific rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for upgrading. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade items requires up to 20 crests, based on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing content at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in any difficulty to earn lower-level gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with heroic difficulty to obtain endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an item upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to upgrade the item upgrades in the proper steps and pathways.
The new currency system isn’t too difficult to use, but it does bring some changes to the process of upgrading. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it no longer requires Flightstones. This change allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters rather than 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 equipment you have, and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you plan on making. This is especially true for items such as trinkets and rings that take up multiple slots. The account-wide discount is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with top-quality gear.