Is Tech Making Item Upgrade Better Or Worse
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also boosts a random substat.
The more modernized gear generally has a more value in trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or has a high stat variance (like Eth titan weapons). These types of gear get less value from upgrading due to the necessity to roll for a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader enables players to upgrade gear to a higher item level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. However, the item upgrader mod used to upgrade will be consumed forever and can't 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 that you visit the upgrader every few weeks to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
Upgrades will cost more, based on the item Level upgrade level, but they will always be cheaper than purchasing new equipment. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to 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 to purchase weapons, armor, tools, and accessory upgrades. Players can purchase them through NPCs who sell upgrades to item owners for various currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be applied to any tool, weapon or armor. The button will display the preview of an item upgrader mod's next upgrade level, when there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading is based on the item upgrading slot and the current item level and the weapon's price is higher than bracers or gloves, for example. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones and a few crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of Flightstones or crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower price.
Many locations have upgraders for their items, including the main Island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and a possibility of getting a new recipe. The discount for upgrading increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at beginning unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades are acquired via a variety of means that are both an improvement and a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and some new features added. Once the 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 true even if the items come from an entirely different set of equipment.
The discount is available to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced too, but it is only available when certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW, players have a few options. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized, and are used during specific item upgrades level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1, and come in four ranks.
The first thing to remember is that the crests can only be purchased for equipment of a certain rank. Each rank has an upgrade path that is different. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, based on the type or gear that is being upgraded.
Players can obtain crests by completing content of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons with all difficulty for items of higher tier, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons to obtain endgame gear. The crests can later be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken, for the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.
The new currency system isn't too difficult to use, however it brings some changes to the process of upgrading. When a piece of equipment has reached the highest level of upgrade item for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This change is designed to allow players to get their gear up to the highest level possible on all their characters, instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
It's also essential to use crests with care, since they have only one purpose. For instance, it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests with the best equipment available and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you're planning to create. This is especially applicable to rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character which will only be able to benefit from the account-wide discount if all of the slots are filled with high-quality equipment.