15 Reasons Not To Ignore Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades can give you boosts in certain statistics. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by 3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.
The upgraded gear is usually more useful, unless the item upgrade has a low requirement by nature (like FB sorc shields) or a high stat variance (like the eth Titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapons. The item upgrader mod used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. To keep your gear current it is recommended you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks.
The cost of upgrading will depend on the current Item level Upgrade level of the item being upgraded but they will always be cheaper than purchasing new gear from other sources. For instance upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 ilvl 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 for 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 purchased, an upgrade is able to 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 upgrading varies based on the item slot, and the current item level. For instance, weapons will cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each step costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item upgrader kit has been upgraded to a certain level and is degraded, it can be sold and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currencies.
Many locations offer item upgraders which include the main island and some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount as well as a chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The upgrade discount increases as 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 the start, 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 but also a drawback.
In Season 3, several new features have been added to the upgrade system. When a player has an upgrade to a certain item upgrading level for a particular armor slot, upgrading other items to the same level will cost less, even if they are part of an entirely different set of gear.
The discount is applicable to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required to upgrade is also reduced and is not available until players achieve certain achievement milestones.
Crests
When upgrading gear in WoW, players have a couple of choices. Flightstones are a currency that is available to everyone who wants to upgrade. Crests are more special and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are an essential part of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1, and come in 4 ranks.
First, you must be aware that Crests are only available to gear with a certain rank. Each rank comes with distinct upgrade paths. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade could require as much as 20 crests, based on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing tasks at the appropriate level. This could be by doing outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in all difficulties to get lower-level gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons that have a high difficulty for endgame gear. These crests are then exchanged with an item upgrader such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn, in Valdrakken to upgrade the item in the proper steps and paths.
The new currency system isn't difficult to use, however it will bring some changes 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 require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change lets players upgrade their gear to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters, instead of relying on seasonal loot.
It's also important to use crests in a wise manner, as they have only one purpose. It is recommended to use your Whelpling-rank crests on the highest-quality gear you can locate and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly true for items such as trinkets and rings that take up multiple slots. The discount on the account will only apply when all the slots on the character are filled with high-quality gear.