World of Warcraft Item Upgrades
Item upgrades can be used to improve the stats of a particular item. Depending on the upgrade type, it may increase an item's Mark Level or Rarity, as well as boost other stats.
Each item comes with a track for upgrading it. Each upgrade increases the price of the next item by a certain amount.
Item Level
The value of an item's stats base increase when it is upgraded. This value is the total of all its leveled up advantages (attack magic attack, attack defense). The cost of upgrading items can be high depending on the upgrader you choose and the kind of upgrade you decide to make. This is due to how many perks must be replaced to allow the item to be upgraded.
It is also used as a gating requirement when queueing for raids, dungeons and scenarios. It is also used as a gating requirement while queueing for dungeons, raids and scenarios, and to limit the amount of PvP gear players can wear (since PvP is capped at the lower levels). The average level of an item is listed on the character sheet.
When deciding whether to buy or sell gear, players can compare the level of an item. It's a measure of the item's condition and quality. The item level can also be used to compare items when looking at the inventory of a seller.
On your PC, you can view the item level using ALT, or by using the left stick on XB1 or PS4. This will display the item's full description, including the ilvl. It can also be located by hovering over an item using the mouse cursor, and then typing /itemlevel in chat.
There are a variety of theories on how the level of an item is calculated. One theory is that the item level is a numerical value derived from a formula that calculates the amount an item's stats are worth. It takes into consideration that different perks are valued differently, and that gems in sockets boost the value of the item. This can lead to a calculated item's ilvl that is typically very close to Blizzards actual item level.
This is not the only factor that affects the level of an item. The location of where the item dropped can also change its stats. For instance it can add a level to the item's haste or crit rating. Items that drop in higher-level instances will have a higher ilvl.
Item Stats
Item stats can make or break an item for players. The game uses a lot of them in a variety of ways to encourage players to play with multiple weapons, and also to stop one weapon from being "the most effective." The base stats of a weapon are enhanced by the weapon's stat mods, which are themselves increased by the player's skill.
The upgrades to an item can increase the stats of an item. The cost of upgrades is determined by the rarity of the item. An item that is white or grey for instance, can only be upgraded one time however, items that has rare tiers can be upgraded multiple times with higher prices.
Affixes are a different method to change an item's stats. These are special stat boosts that can be added to an item by the player, and they come in all sizes and shapes. Affixes can do things like give the item additional damage, or give a specific ability to the item (such as reviving the dead or decreasing the duration of cooldowns) or make the item unique by giving a special name to the item.
All affixes are currently re-rolled by selecting them in the upgrade menu and pressing the green button. This will cost a certain amount of gold and other items. They can also be used as upgrade gauges, similar to other methods of rerolling.
Players can upgrade an item by specific stats or reroll attaches. The range of stats is determined by the item's level. However every item will contain at least one stat in the same range, unless it's an item that is unique, or the item is a God Roll from a raid boss.
Another thing that could be changed is the possibility to upgrade equipment without having to reroll attaches, or select which stats to increase. As with the base equipment, it would have to be done per item and the item comparison interface will not show all possible stats at once.
Item Luck
The Luck stat for a player adds up to increase the chances of finding items as well as the properties that appear on loot drops and the intensity of those properties. It does not, however, directly affect damage or the ability to upgrade item s. It gives players an opportunity to get better equipment earlier in the game. This is particularly beneficial for early game runs, since players tend to prioritize weapon scaling and defenses above raw damage gains.
In addition to influencing the discovery of items, Luck also increases the chance of success when upgrading items using the Blacksmith. This is not to be confused with the Blacksmith's overall chance of upgrading, which increase with each item level. It is also possible to be increased with the use of anti-materials like a Scroll of Strength and a Jewel of Blessing.
Armor, shields and weapons can spawn or be crafted with the Luck property, which has an initial value of 40. These items can then be enhanced with golden ingots, spined leather or oak boards (depending on the type of material used) to grant a further +40 Luck, or to increase the existing Luck of an item, up to 140.
Furthermore, certain items, such as the Hollow weapon, which is infused with Hollow, can be equipped to boost the damage of any damage-dealing skill by 5percent. These items can be purchased in the shops or made with the right ingredients.
Item Failure
Item upgrades are costly and not all upgrades will succeed. Cash shop items can be used to increase the chance of success of an upgrade or to stop players from losing their item if it is not successful.
The rate of success of an upgrade is displayed in the Honing UI. The percentage represents the likelihood of successful upgrading an item. This can be increased with Additional Materials or Special Materials. There are limitations to the extent to which success rates can be increased, and the overall chance of an upgrade failing cannot exceed 100%..
The Luck of an item can influence the effectiveness of an upgrade. Each item has a base success rate of 25%, and every item that has Luck increases the chance of success by 5percent.
Note that item upgrades are rendered above the inventory items, so enchantment glint and other effects could be obstructed by the overlays. 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.