20 Fun Informational Facts About Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also boosts the random substatus.
The upgraded gear typically has a more value in trade regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or very high stat variance (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades are not as valuable for those with higher variance because of the requirement to roll a perfect version.
Recycle Points
The item upgrading upgrader allows 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 item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can 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 every few weeks to keep your equipment up to date.
The cost of upgrades will be based on the current item level of the equipment being upgraded but they will always be cheaper than buying new equipment from other sources. For example, upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to 385 ilvl will cost 20 recycle points, while buying a similar item level upgrade from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that can be used to upgrade weapons tools, armor, and other items. They are purchased by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for various currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be used on any weapon, tool, or armor using a button, which will show a preview of the item at the next upgrade level when the player has enough materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the slot of the item and the current level of the item. For instance, weapons will cost more than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with certain upgrades offering discounts to reduce the cost of the Flightstones or the crests used. After an item upgrade has been upgraded to a certain degree it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower price.
Many locations offer item upgraders which include the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon and a possibility of getting an entirely new recipe. The discount on upgrades increases according to the number of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be increased 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 require a variety of means which is both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.
In Season 3 the upgrade system was modified a bit, and numerous new features added. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a certain level of an item for a specific armor slot, upgrading other items to that level will cost less even when they are part of another set of gear.
The discount is available to all accounts. In the same way, the amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also cut and is not available until players achieve certain milestones in their achievements.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a variety of choices. Flightstones are a currency 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 introduced in version 10.1. They are available in four ranks.
First, you must be aware that the crests can only be purchased for equipment that is that is of a particular rank. Each rank comes with a different upgrade path. The simplest and most straightforward upgrade path costs 15 crests, while the more complex one can require as much as 20 crests, based on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing content of the appropriate level, whether that involves walking around and performing outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, dungeons or raids of all difficulties for higher-tier items or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses and dungeons to obtain endgame gear. Crests can be exchanged at an item upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to get the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
The use of these currencies isn't too complicated however, the system does introduce some modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it no longer requires Flightstones. This allows players to upgrade their gear to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
It's also crucial to choose crests with care, since they are only used for one purpose. For instance, it's a good idea to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests with the Best item upgrade equipment available and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you're planning to make. This is particularly relevant for rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character, that will be able to benefit from the account-wide discount when all slots are filled with high-quality gear.