WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades give you an increase in specific stats. Each upgrade increases item level by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.

Upgraded gear generally sees greater value for trade regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB sorc's shield) or a very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). The latter see less value from upgrading due to the requirement to roll for a perfect version.

Recycle Points

The item upgrader allows players to upgrade their gear by transferring the currency to an NPC. Upgrades can be applied on any kind of weapon or armor. The item upgrader kit used to upgrade the item is discarded and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be applied to the enchantments.

The upgrader is located in every major city, and is accessible at any time to upgrade your gear. 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 gear being upgraded but they will always be cheaper than buying new gear from other sources. Upgrades such as upgrading a Benthic chest up to the level of ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. Buying a similar item upgrade will cost you 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase weapon, armor, tool, and accessory upgrades. Players can purchase them from item upgraders NPCs for a variety of currencies. They are also available on random treasure lists. Once an upgrade has been purchased it can be applied to any weapon, tool, or armor using the help of button, which displays a preview of the item at the next upgrade level when the player has enough materials.

The cost of upgrades varies based on the item slot 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 variety of crests, with some upgrades offering discounts to lower the cost of the Flightstones or crests used. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree, it can be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.

Upgraders for items are available at many locations on the main island as well as some outposts. The NPCs provide an upgrade discount and the chance to get a brand new upgrade recipe. The discount on upgrades increases as more items are upgraded. It can be increased if players finish certain achievements or quests.

Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the beginning, unlike Cromwell from Baldur's Gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to help with upgrades are acquired via several methods, which is both an improvement as well as a disadvantage.

In Season 3, many new features have been added to the upgrade system. Once a player obtains an upgrade to a specific level for an item in an armor slot, upgrading additional items to that same ilvl for all their characters instead of relying on seasonal loot.

It's also crucial to choose crests in a wise manner, as they are only used for one purpose. For instance it's a good idea utilize all of your Whelpling rank crests on the Best item upgrade equipment you have and then keep Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you're planning to make. This is especially true for items like rings and trinkets that take up multiple slots on the character, which can only be eligible to benefit from the account-wide discount if all of the slots are filled with top-quality equipment.