Indisputable Proof You Need Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.
The upgraded gear is usually more useful, unless the item has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like the eth Titan weapons). Upgrades aren't as important for those with higher variance because of the requirement to roll an exact version.
Recycle Points
The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade their gear to a higher level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of armor or weapon. However, the item upgrader kit used for the upgrade will be consumed for the duration of time and can't be used again. Upgrades can be applied to Enchantments.
You can upgrade your gear anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to visit the upgrader every few weeks to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
The cost of upgrades will be based on the current level of the item level upgrade - check, being upgraded however, they will always be less expensive than buying new gear from other sources. For instance upgrading a Benthic chest to ilvl 385 will cost 20 recycle points, while purchasing the same item from a different player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase weapons, armor, tools and accessory upgrades. They can be bought by players through item upgrader NPCs in exchange for a variety of currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade item has been purchased it can be applied to any weapon or tool using the help of The button will display the preview of an item's next level of upgrade, in the event that there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs differ based on the item slot, and the current level of the item. For example weapons cost more than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each upgrade items costs 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Certain upgrades provide discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain level, it can be degraded and sold back to the upgrader for a lesser amount of the two currencies.
A lot of locations offer upgraders for items in addition to the main island and a few outposts. The NPCs offer an upgrade coupon and the chance to obtain the latest recipe. The discount for upgrading increases when more items are upgraded. It can be increased by having players complete certain achievements or complete quests.
Contrary to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no item upgrader available at the start of Icewind Dale. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are available only through a variety of methods. This is both a benefit and an issue.
In Season 3 the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and several new features added. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a particular level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading other items to that level will cost less, even when they are part of a different gear set.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is cut as well, but is only available after certain milestones are achieved.
Crests
When it comes to upgrading equipment in WoW, players have a couple of choices. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system introduced in 10.1 and are available in 4 ranks.
The first thing to remember is that crests are only available for gear of a certain rank. Each rank comes with a different upgrade items path. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade can require up to 20 crests, depending on the kind of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by working through tasks at the appropriate level. This could mean doing outdoor activities, or by completing dungeons and 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 then be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade routes and steps.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, however it brings some modifications to the upgrade process. For instance, when an item is at the highest upgrade level of any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't need Flightstones to be upgraded. This is to allow players to upgrade their gear up to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests have one purpose, so it's important to use them wisely. For instance it's a good idea utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests on the top equipment available and keep Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan to make. This is particularly relevant for 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.