WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades will give you a boost to specific stats. Each upgrade increases the level of an item by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.

Upgraded gear generally sees higher trade value regardless of whether it has low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or very high stat variation (like 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 mod 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 type of armor or weapon. However, the item that is used to upgrade will remain in use for a long time and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create enchantments.

The upgrader is located in all major cities, and can be visited anytime to upgrade your equipment. It is recommended to visit the upgrader at least once every few weeks, to keep your equipment up to date.

The cost of upgrades will depend on the current item 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 to ilvl385 will cost you 20 recycle points. If you purchase a similar item, it will cost you 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that can be used to purchase weapon, armor, tool and accessory upgrades. They are purchased by players from NPCs that sell upgrades to items in exchange for a variety of currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once purchased, an upgrade can be used on any tool, weapon, or armor. The button will show the preview of an item's next level of upgrade, when there are enough materials.

The cost of upgrading varies based on the slot of the item and the current item level. For example, weapons will cost more than gloves, bracers or bracers. Each upgrade cost 15 Flightstones plus a set number of crests. Some upgrades offer discounts on Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain amount it can be re-downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.

Many locations offer item upgraders, including the main Island and a few outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon as well as the possibility of obtaining the latest recipe. The discount for upgrading increases as more items are upgraded. It can also be increased by having players complete certain achievements or complete quests.

Icewind Dale does not have an upgrader for items at the start unlike Cromwell from Baldur's gate II. Instead the NPCs that are available to facilitate upgrades require a variety of means which is both an improvement but also a drawback.

In Season 3, the upgrade system has been tweaked a bit, with numerous new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a certain level for an item in an armor Item Level upgrade slot, upgrading further items to that level will be less expensive, even when they are part of a different gear set.

It's also important to use crests in a wise manner, as they have only one purpose. For instance, it's best to use all of your Whelpling-rank crests on the best gear you have available, and then save Drake and Wyrm crests for the next batch of upgrades you plan on making. This is particularly relevant for rings and trinkets that fill multiple slots on the character that will be able to take advantage of the discount for all accounts when all of the slots are filled with top-quality gear.