World of Warcraft Item Upgrades
Upgrades to items are a method to boost the stats of an item. Based on the type of upgrade it could boost an item's Mark Level or Rarity, as well as boost other stats.
Each item has a track to upgrade it. Each upgrade increases the cost of the following one by a certain amount.
Item Level
The value of an item's base stats increases as it is upgraded. This is the sum of all of an item's leveled-up perks (attack magic attack and defense). Upgrading items can be expensive depending on the upgrader and what type of upgrade you choose to do. This is due to the number of perks that must be modified to upgrade an item.
The level of an item is a commonly used measure of power, and can be seen on all tooltips for items. It is also used to limit how much PvP gear players are able to wear as PvP is restricted at a lower level. Players can view their average level of items on their character sheet.
Utilizing the level of an item can help players compare the potency of gear when they decide to buy or sell. It's a useful indicator of an item's quality and the amount of damage it's able to deal. The level of an item can be used to compare items when examining the inventory of a seller.
On PC, you are able to see the level of the item using ALT, or by using the left stick on XB1 or PS4. The item will be displayed with its full description, including the ilvl. You can also locate it by hovering over an item and typing /itemlevel in chat.
There are various theories on how the calculation of an item's level is carried out. One theory is that the level is a number that comes from a formula which calculates the amount an item's stats are worth. It considers the fact that different perks have different values, and also that sockets have gems that increase the overall value of the item. This can result in a calculated item's ilvl that is typically very close to Blizzard's real level of the item.
However, this isn't the only factor which affects an item's ilvl, as the size of the area the item dropped in can alter the value of its stats, for instance by adding an amount to its haste rating or crit rating. Items that drop in higher-level instances will have higher ilvl.
Item Stats
The stats of an item can make or break an item for players. The game utilizes them in many ways to encourage players not to limit themselves to a single weapon, and to encourage them to try out other weapons. The stat mods on a weapon boost the base stats. These stat mods are then boosted by a player's level.
The upgrades to items add by boosting certain stats on the item. The cost of upgrades is determined by the rarity of the item. An item that is white or grey for instance, will only be upgraded one time, while an item that has rare tiers can be upgraded multiple times with higher costs.
Affixes are a different method to change an item's stats. They are stat boosts which can be added by the player to an item. Affixes are used to give items extra damage or special abilities (such as revitalizing dead or reducing cooling downs) or to differentiate them by putting a name on them.
Presently, all affixes are able to be changed by selecting them from the upgrade window and pressing the green button, which is accompanied by the arrows that circle. This process will cost the player a certain amount of gold and items which can be used to add to the upgrade gauge in the same way as other rerolling options.
In addition to the possibility of rerolling affixes, players may also choose which stats they want to keep on an item after it is upgraded. The possible stat ranges for an item are determined by the level of the item, however every item is guaranteed to have at least one stat within the specified range, unless it's an exclusive item or a God roll from a boss of a raid.
Another thing that could change is the possibility of upgrading equipment without having to roll the attachments, or pick which stats to increase. As with the base equipment, this would have to be done per item, and the item comparison interface wouldn't display all possible stats at once.
Item Luck
The Luck stat of a player increases the probability of obtaining items, the properties that are created by loot and the intensity of these properties. However, it does not directly affect damage or ability to upgrade item s. It gives players the chance to upgrade equipment earlier in the game. This is particularly advantageous in the early game, because players tend to put weapon scaling and defenses above raw damage gains.
Luck can also boost the chances of upgrading items at the Blacksmith. This is not to be confused with the Blacksmith's overall chances of upgrading that increase with each new level of item. These can also be enhanced by using anti-materials like a Scroll of Strength and a Jewel of Blessing.
Armor, shields and weapons can spawn or be crafted using the Luck property, with a default value of 40. These items can be enhanced with golden ingots, spined leather, or oak boards (depending on the type of material used) to give +40 Luck or to increase the luck of an item up to 140.
Certain items, such as the weapon with Hollow-infused components, can also be equipped to increase the damage dealt by any ability that is able to deal damage by five percent. These items are available in the shop or crafted with the right ingredients.
Item Failure
Upgrades to items can be expensive and not all upgrades will succeed. However, there are cash shop items which allow players to increase their success rate or prevent themselves from losing an item if the upgrade is unsuccessful.
When you upgrade an item the success rate is displayed in the Honing UI. The percentage is the chances of successfully upgrading that item, and it can be increased by adding Additional Materials or Special Materials. The percentage of success can only be increased by so much, and the chance that an upgrade will fail cannot be greater than 100%..
The performance of an upgrades is also influenced by the luck of the item. All items have a success rate of 25 percent and each item with Luck increases the chance of success by 5percent.
The item upgrade overlays are rendered above the items in the inventory. This can block enchantment effects as well as other effects. If you wish to disable the upgrade overlays, the config option decoration.renderUpgradeOverlays can be set to False in the Item Upgrader CORE client config.