10 Misconceptions That Your Boss May Have Regarding Item Upgrade
WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader
Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases item level by +3. Each upgrade also increases an unspecified substat.
Upgraded gear generally sees greater value for trade, unless it has inherently low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or has a high stat variance (like eth titan weapons). The latter are less valuable from upgrading due to the need to roll for a perfect model.
Recycle Points
The item upgrader enables players to upgrade their gear to a higher level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any kind of armor or weapon. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and can't be used again. Upgrades can be used to create the enchantments.
You can upgrade your equipment at any time by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended to visit the upgrader once every few weeks, to ensure that your equipment is up to date.
Upgrades can cost more based on the level of the item however, they are always less expensive than purchasing new gear. For example upgrading a Benthic chest piece to 385 levels will cost 20 recycle points, while buying a similar item from another player will cost 105.
Valorstones
Upgrades are useful items that can be used to level up weapons, tools, armor, and accessories. Players can purchase them from item upgraders NPCs in a variety of currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade is able to be applied to any tool, weapon, or armor. The button will show the preview of an item upgrade's next upgrade level, in the event that there are enough materials.
Upgrade costs vary depending on the slot for the item and the current item level upgrade level. For instance weapons cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades give discounts on Flightstones. Once an item has been upgraded to a certain amount it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower price.
Upgraders for items can be found in many places, including the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs offer both an upgrade coupon and the possibility of obtaining a new recipe. The discount on upgrades increases depending on the amount of items that are being upgraded. It is also possible to be boosted by having players complete some specific achievements or quests.
Icewind Dale does not have an item upgrader at beginning unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are only accessible through a variety means. This is both a positive and an issue.
In Season 3, many new features were added to the upgrade system. After a player has upgraded to a specific level for an armor slot upgrading other items to the same level, will cost less. This applies even if the items come from a different set of equipment.
The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is reduced, and the discount is account-wide. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced also, but is only available when certain milestones have been reached.
Crests
Players have several options for upgrading their equipment in WoW. Flightstones are an item that is available to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specialized, and are used during specific item level upgrades. Crests are an integral part of the Dragonflight Gear Progression System, which was introduced in version 10.1. They come in four ranks.
The first thing to note is that crests are only able to be spent on gear of a specific rank, and that each rank has different requirements for its upgrade path. The simplest and easiest upgrade costs 15 crests. The most complicated upgrade can require up to 20 crests, based on the kind of equipment that is being upgraded.
Players can earn crests by completing tasks at the appropriate level. This could mean engaging in outdoor activities or taking on dungeons and raids of any difficulty to earn lower-tier gear or Mythicbosses for raids, or dungeons with heroic difficulty for endgame gear. The crests can later be exchanged at an upgrader NPC like Cuzolth in Dornogal or Vaskarn in Valdrakken to obtain the appropriate upgrade paths and steps.
Utilizing these new currencies isn't that difficult however, the system introduces some changes to the overall upgrade process. When a piece has reached the highest level of upgrade for any rank (Explorer or Adventurer), it will no longer require Flightstones. This allows players to upgrade their equipment to the highest possible ilvl for all their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.
Another important change is that crests only have one usage, so it's important to use them properly. It is best to put your Whelpling-rank Crests on the Best item upgrade gear you can locate, and save Drake and Wyrm Crests for the next round of upgrades. This is particularly true for items like trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character, which will only be able to take advantage of the account-wide discount when all slots are filled with top-quality gear.