Buzzwords De-Buzzed: 10 More Ways To Deliver Item Upgrade

WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by +3. A random extra substat is also boosted alongside every upgrade.

Upgraded gear generally sees more value in trade as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or has a high stat variation (like Eth titan weapons). The latter are less valuable 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 upgrade (look these up) level by providing the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of weapon or armor. However, the item used for the upgrade will remain in use for a long time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to the enchantments.

You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader every couple of weeks to ensure that your equipment is up-to-date.

Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the item, but they will always be less expensive than purchasing new gear. For example, upgrading a chest piece from Benthic to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points, purchasing a similar piece from a different player will cost 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that can be used for weapon, armor, tool, and accessory upgrades. They can be purchased by players from item upgrader NPCs in exchange for different currencies, and may also be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be used on any weapon or tool using the help of button, which will display a preview of the item at its next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.

The cost of upgrading is based on the slot of the item and the current level of the item as well as the level of the weapon, which is more than gloves or bracers, for example. Each step costs 15 Flightstones and a number of crests, with certain upgrades having a discount to lower the cost of the Flightstones or the crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader for a lower price.

Upgraders for items are available in many places including the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade discount as well as a chance to obtain a new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases with the number of items being upgraded, and can be boosted by having players complete specific achievements or quests.

In contrast to Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II there is no upgrader for items available at the start of Icewind Dale. Instead the NPCs that can be used to upgrade are acquired via various methods, which is both an improvement but also a drawback.

In Season 3, the upgrade system has been altered a bit, with several new features added. When a player has an upgrade to a specific level for an item upgrader kit in an armor slot, upgrading further items to that level will cost less, even if they belong to an entirely different set of gear.

The discount is available to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed to upgrade is cut as well, but is only available once certain milestones are achieved.

Crests

Players have a number of options for upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are a currency that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specific and are utilized during specific item level upgrades. Crests are the main component of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1 and are available in four ranks.

The first thing to note is that crests are only able to be used on gear of a specific rank, and each rank has different requirements for its upgrade items path. The simplest and easiest upgrade is 15 crests. The most complex upgrade can require up to 20 crests, contingent on the kind of gear that is being upgraded.

Players can earn crests through working through content at the appropriate level. This could be done by engaging in outdoor activities or completing dungeons and raids in all difficulties to get lower-level gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with a heroic difficulty to obtain endgame gear. These crests can then be exchanged at an item upgrades upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade pathways and steps.

Utilizing these new currencies isn't that difficult, but the system will introduce a few modifications to the upgrade process. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it is no longer required to purchase Flightstones. This allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl on all of their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.

It's also crucial to choose crests with care, since they have only one purpose. It is best to use your Whelpling-rank Crests on the highest-quality gear that you can find and save Drake and Wyrm Crests to be used for the next set of upgrades. This is particularly relevant for items like trinkets and rings that fill several slots. The discount for the entire account is only applicable when all slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.