Why You Should Focus On Improving Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a an increase in specific statistics. Each upgrade increases item level by +3. Each upgrade also boosts a random substat.
Upgraded gear generally sees higher trade value, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or a very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as useful for those with higher variance due to the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrading upgrader enables players to upgrade gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the Best item upgrader will be consumed and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every couple of weeks to keep your equipment up to date.
The cost of upgrades will depend on the current level of the gear being upgraded but they will always be less expensive than buying new gear from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up 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 items that can be used for tools, armor, weapon, and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players from item upgraders NPCs for various currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor. The button will show the preview of an item's next upgrade level, when there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrades varies based on the item Level Upgrade slot and the current item level, with weapons costing more than gloves or bracers, for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a variety of crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of the Flightstones or crests that are used. After an item has been upgraded to a certain level it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lesser amount of both currencies.
Item upgraders can be found in a variety of locations on the main island, as well as a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount and a chance to acquire a new upgrade recipe. The discount for upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be increased by having players complete specific achievements or quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II is no item upgrader available at the beginning of Icewind Dale. Instead the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades must be acquired through various methods that are both an improvement and a drawback.
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 level will cost less. This applies even if those items are from a different set of gear.
The discount applies to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is cut as well, but is only available when certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have a number of options when it comes to upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an important part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
First, you should know that the crests can only be purchased for gear with a certain rank. Each rank has distinct upgrade paths. The easiest and most straightforward upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, based on the type of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing content of the appropriate level, which means walking around and doing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons with all difficulties for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ dungeons or heroic raid bosses for gear that is used in the endgame. These crests can then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
Using these new currencies isn't too difficult however, the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade process. Once a piece of gear attains the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer) it will no longer require Flightstones. This change allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible level on all of their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another important modification is that crests have one purpose, so it's important to use them wisely. It's Best item upgrade to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the Best item upgrade gear that you can find and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly true for items such as trinkets and rings that fill several slots. The account-wide discount is only applicable when all the slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.