WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades will give you a boost to certain stats. Each upgrade boosts the level of an item by 3. A random extra substat is also increased with each upgrade.
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). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect 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 kind of weapon or armor. However, the item that is used for the upgrade will remain in use for a long time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can also be applied to enchantments.
The upgrader can be found in every major city, and is accessible anytime to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended to visit the upgrader every couple of weeks to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
Upgrades can cost more based on the item level, however they'll always be less expensive than purchasing new gear. For instance, upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points purchasing a similar piece from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade weapons, armor, tools and accessory upgrades. They can be bought by players from NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for various currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be used on any tool, weapon or armor. The button will show a preview of an item upgrades's next upgrade level, when there are enough materials.
The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot for the item and the current item level upgrade (relevant site) level. For instance weapons are more expensive than bracers, or gloves. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a certain number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain amount it is able to be degraded and returned to the upgrader for a lower amount of both currency types.
Many locations offer item upgraders, including the main Island and a few outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and a possibility of getting a new recipe. The discount for upgrades increases according to the number of items that are being upgraded, and can be increased by requiring players to complete specific achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the beginning, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. The NPCs who are able to facilitate upgrades are available only through a variety means. This is both a benefit as well as a drawback.
In Season 3, the upgrade system has been modified a bit, and numerous new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a specific level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading additional items to the same level will cost less, even when they belong to a different gear set.
The amount of Valorstones needed to upgrade is reduced and the discount is affixed to all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests required for upgrades is also reduced and is not available until players have reached certain milestones in their achievement.
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 specialized, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are a crucial element of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System that was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests can only be used on equipment of a particular rank, and that each rank has its own requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and simplest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade requires up to 20 crests, depending on the type or equipment being upgraded.
Players can earn crests through completing content at the appropriate level. This could be by engaging in outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of any difficulty to earn lower-level gear or Mythic+ raid bosses or dungeons with a heroic difficulty for gear in the endgame. Crests can be exchanged at an upgrader NPC, such as Cuzolth in Dornogal, or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade items routes and steps.
The use of these currencies isn't that difficult however, the system does introduce some modifications to the upgrade process. Once a piece of gear reaches the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it will no longer require Flightstones. This is to allow players to get their equipment up to the highest possible ilvl on all their characters instead of relying only on seasonal loot.
Another notable change is that crests only have one usage and it's crucial to use them wisely. For instance it's best to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the best gear you have available and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next round of upgrades you plan to make. This is especially relevant for items like trinkets and rings that fill multiple slots. The discount on the account will only be applicable if all slots on the character are filled with top-quality equipment.