item upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boost in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also boosts a random substat.
The upgraded gear is usually more valuable, unless it has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like Eth Titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader lets players upgrade their gear by offering the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be made on any kind of armor or weapons. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can be used to create Enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in all major cities, and can be visited anytime to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended to visit the upgrader once every few weeks, to keep your equipment up-to-date.
The cost of upgrades will vary based on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded, but will always be less expensive than purchasing new gear from other sources. For instance upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points, while buying a similar item from another player will costs 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for weapons, armor, tools and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for a variety of currencies. They can also find them on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased, it can be applied to any weapon or tool with the help of The button will show the item's next upgrade level in the event that there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot for the item and the current level of the item. For instance, weapons will cost more than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of Flightstones or crests used. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain level it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.
Upgraders for items are available in many places, including the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and the possibility of getting the latest recipe. The discount for upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be increased by requiring players to complete specific achievements or complete quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no upgrader for items available at the start of Icewind Dale. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only accessible through a variety means. This is both a benefit as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and several new features added. Once a player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot, upgrading other items to the same item level will cost less. This is even if the items come from an entirely different set of gear.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. Similarly, the amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players reach certain milestones in their achievement.
Crests
Players have a number of choices when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone for upgrading. Crests are more specific, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial element 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 spent on equipment that is of a particular rank, and each rank has different requirements for upgrading. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade requires up to 20 crests, based on the type of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through working through tasks at the appropriate level. This could be by doing outdoor activities, or by doing dungeons or raids in all difficulty levels to obtain lower-level gear or Mythicbosses of raids or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. These crests can be exchanged with an item upgrader like Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and routes.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't too complicated however, the system will introduce a few modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece of equipment has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it will no longer require Flightstones. This change is intended to allow players to get their equipment to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests in a wise manner, as they are only used for one purpose. It is best to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the highest-quality gear that you can find, and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly true for items like trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character which will only be able to avail the account-wide discount when all slots are filled with top-quality equipment.