Upgrades give you boosts in specific statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of an Item level Upgrade by 3. A random substat is also increased with each upgrade.
Upgraded gear is generally more valuable, unless the item has low requirements by nature (like FB sorc shields) or has a large variance in stats (like the eth Titan weapons). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. However, the item that is used to upgrade items will be consumed for the duration of time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to Enchantments.
The upgrader is located in all major cities, and is accessible anytime to upgrade your equipment. To keep your gear current it is recommended that you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the level of the item, however they'll always be cheaper than buying new gear. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item will cost you 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used for weapon, armor, tool and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for different currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade is purchased it can be used on any weapon or tool using the help of button, which will display an item's preview when it is upgraded if the player has sufficient materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot of the item and item level Upgrade the current level of the item upgrading. For instance weapons are more expensive than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of Flightstones or crests that are used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree and is degraded, it can be sold and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currency types.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items which include the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases according to the number of items being upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete some specific achievements or 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 require several methods which is both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was tweaked a bit, with some new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a specific level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading additional items to that same item level will cost less even when they belong to a different gear set.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is reduced, and item level Upgrade the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is cut as well, but is only available after certain milestones are reached.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a few choices. Flightstones are a currency that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are used for specific item upgrade 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 can only be spent on gear of a specific rank, and each rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The most basic and straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the more complex one may require as many as 20 crests, based on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by completing content of the appropriate level, whether that means walking around and doing outdoor activities to get lower-tier gear, dungeons or raids of any difficulty for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons for endgame gear. These crests can then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The use of these currencies isn't that difficult however, the system introduces some modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, once an item upgrade 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 gear up to the highest ilvl possible on all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests wisely, as they only have one use. It is recommended to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the best gear you can find and keep Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is especially true for items like rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character that will be able to take advantage of the account-wide discount if all slots are full of high-quality equipment.
