How To Upgrade Gear In WoW Midnight: The Complete Item Level Progression Guide

To upgrade gear in World of Warcraft: Midnight, players must collect Valorstones and localized Harbinger Crests to systematically raise the item level of eligible gear across six distinct progression tracks. By optimizing account-wide discount thresholds and prioritizing high-tier tracks like Hero and Myth, you can maximize character power while minimizing currency waste. This guide establishes the precise technical steps, item-level bands, and resource-gathering strategies required to master the endgame gear ecosystem.

Pre-Upgrade Currency and Track Planning

Before attempting to upgrade your equipment in the Midnight expansion, you must understand the underlying currency architecture and the limits of the item progression tracks. Upgrading gear is not a flat system; rather, every item dropped in the endgame belongs to a specific track that determines both its starting item level and its absolute ceiling. Attempting to brute-force upgrades on low-tier tracks will result in a severe deficit of valuable progression materials.

Successful gear progression requires managing two primary resources: Valorstones, a highly liquid currency obtained from virtually all endgame activities, and Crests, which are gated by weekly caps and segmented into four distinct difficulty tiers. To prepare your character for efficient upgrading, satisfy the following criteria:

Character and Resource Checklist

• Character Level: Maximum level (80 or the designated Midnight cap) with the main campaign fully completed to unlock the regional upgrade NPCs.
• Essential Currency (Base): Valorstones, capped at 2,000 in your currency tab. Keep this flowing by spending down before reaching the hard cap.
• Essential Currencies (Crests): Weathered Crests (outdoor/LFR), Carved Crests (Normal raids/low Mythic+), Runed Crests (Heroic raids/mid Mythic+), and Gilded Crests (Mythic raids/high Mythic+).
• Upgrade Hub Coordinates: Locate the primary Item Upgrade Specialist situated in the central plaza of the expansion’s main hub (typically near the Great Vault and item-restoration vendors).
• Prerequisite Knowledge: Understand the slot discount rule. Once a character obtains an item of a specific level in a given slot, upgrading any subsequent item in that same slot to that level costs zero Crests and 50% fewer Valorstones.

Step-by-Step Endgame Gear Upgrade Workflow

Upgrading your gear efficiently requires a structured approach to prevent the premature consumption of weekly capped Crests on items that will quickly be replaced. Follow this precise execution sequence to optimize your character's power curve.

Step 1: Identify Your Gear Track Eligibility

Examine the tooltips of the gear in your inventory or character pane. Every upgradeable item displays its current track and upgrade step near the bottom of its information window (e.g., Champion 2/8 or Hero 4/6).

• Avoid spending rare Crests on Explorer or Adventurer gear unless you are severely struggling to hit the minimum item-level requirements for queued group content.
• Prioritize saving your highest-tier Crests for Champion, Hero, and Myth items, as these represent the gear you will carry into high-end Mythic+ keys and progressive raiding.

Step 2: Farm and Consolidate Crest Tiers

Gather your upgrade materials by targeting specific content brackets. Do not over-farm lower-tier activities once you have reached their respective gear ceilings.

• Weathered Crests: Earned from World Quests, Delves Tier 1-3, and Looking for Raid (LFR) bosses.
• Carved Crests: Gathered from Tier 4-7 Delves, Normal difficulty raid encounters, and Mythic +2 to +5 dungeons.
• Runed Crests: Dropped by Tier 8+ Delves, Heroic difficulty raid bosses, and Mythic +6 to +9 dungeons.
• Gilded Crests: Acquired exclusively from Mythic difficulty raid encounters and Mythic +10 or higher dungeon completions.

Warning: Be mindful of the seasonal maximum cap on Crests. If you reach your weekly seasonal cap, any further activities that award that tier of Crest will yield only gold or minor reputation. Plan your upgrades so you do not cap out on Gilded Crests before upgrading your best-in-slot weapons and trinkets.

Step 3: Utilize the Slot Discount Mechanic

To save thousands of Valorstones and dozens of Crests, always prioritize upgrading your highest item-level slots first.

• For rings and trinkets, the discount system checks the lowest item level of your two equipped items. You must raise both rings or both trinkets to a specific level to unlock the zero-Crest discount for that item level in those slots.
• For two-handed weapons, upgrading a single two-handed weapon unlocks the discount for all future two-handed and one-handed weapons on that character. If you run a one-handed weapon and a shield/off-hand, both must be upgraded to the target level to trigger the discount for those respective slots.

Step 4: Visit the Upgrade Vendor and Execute

Travel to the central hub and speak with the Item Upgrade Specialist. Right-click or drag-and-drop the chosen piece of gear into the interface slot.

• Review the preview window, which displays the new item level, the stat increases (primary stats, stamina, and secondary stats), and the exact cost.
• Check for the Discount Active text indicator. If you see a Crest cost listed for an item level you have already achieved on another piece of gear in that slot, close the window and verify that your highest-item-level piece is currently in your character bag or equipped.
• Click Upgrade. This action is irreversible once executed; there is no refund window for spent Valorstones or Crests.

Pro-Tip: If you have hit the seasonal cap on lower-tier Crests (such as Weathered or Carved) and have surplus quantities, you can visit the Crest Exchange vendor next to the upgrade specialist to trade upward or downward. Note that trading upward (e.g., exchanging Carved for Runed) requires you to have achieved a minimum overall average item level, ensuring you cannot bypass high-level gameplay entirely through trading.

Gear Upgrade Tracks and Resource Specifications

The table below outlines the complete structure of the upgrade tracks in the Midnight expansion. Use this reference to calculate the total resource investments required to transition an item from its base drop level to its maximum potential.

Troubleshooting Progression Failures and Resource Bottlenecks

Even experienced players run into bottlenecks or configuration issues when navigating the gear upgrade pipeline. Below are the most common real-world failure scenarios and their technical remedies.

• Issue: "The Upgrade Specialist is charging me Crests for an item slot where I already have a higher-level item."

  
  
  
  • Root Cause: The system checks your character's historical maximum item level in that specific slot across your account or character bag. If you deleted, sold, or disenchanted your highest-level item without equipping it first, or if it was a different armor type (such as wearing leather when your class requires mail), the system will not register the discount.
  • Actionable Fix: Search your inventory and bank for the higher item-level piece. If you accidentally destroyed it, use the web-based Blizzard Item Restoration service to recover the item, place it in your bags, equip it once to register the slot value, and then return to the upgrade vendor.

• Issue: "I am completely out of Valorstones, but I still have plenty of Crests."

  
  
  
  • Root Cause: You are likely upgrading too many low-tier items (Explorer/Adventurer) or frequently swapping between parallel gear pieces instead of focusing on a single BiS (Best-in-Slot) set.
  • Actionable Fix: Halt all non-essential upgrades. Run content that yields high Valorstone-per-hour returns, such as repeated low-tier Mythic+ dungeons (+2 to +4), minor World Quests, and weekly zone activities. Always prioritize activities that grant a raw Valorstone bonus for helping players increase their Mythic+ rating.

• Issue: "I cannot trade my lower-tier Crests for higher-tier Crests at the vendor."

  
  
  
  • Root Cause: To prevent players from farming low-level content to completely bypass difficult endgame content, the exchange vendor locks upward trading until your character reaches an average item level where the lower-tier Crests are no longer useful to you.
  • Actionable Fix: Open your character pane and inspect your average item level. You must raise your overall average item level to match the ceiling of the lower track before the vendor will unlock the purchase of the higher-tier Crests. Check the vendor’s tooltip to see the exact item level requirement needed for your current unlock.

• Issue: "My crafted gear cannot be upgraded at the Item Upgrade Specialist."

  
  
  
  • Root Cause: Crafted gear does not use the standard Valorstone and Crest upgrade track system. Instead, it must be upgraded using the Crafting Order system via Recrafting Recipes and specialized Enchanted Crests.
  • Actionable Fix: Take the crafted item to the Crafting Order station. Place a "Recrafting Order" utilizing an Enchanted Crest (crafted by Enchanters using your collected Crests) to recraft the item directly to a higher item level tier without destroying its existing stats or embellishments.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do account-wide gear upgrade discounts work in Midnight?

Once any character on your account reaches a specific item level in an armor or weapon slot, all other characters on your account receive a 50% Valorstone discount when upgrading gear for that same slot up to that item level. This account-wide discount does not bypass the Crest requirement for your alts; however, it significantly reduces the grind required to get secondary characters combat-ready.

Can I downgrade or exchange high-tier Crests for lower-tier Crests?

Yes, you can exchange higher-tier Crests (such as Runed or Gilded) for lower-tier Crests at a 1-to-1 ratio at the Crest Exchange vendor. This trade is always unlocked and is highly useful if you need to upgrade a new piece of gear through its initial, low-level steps but lack the basic Crests due to playing exclusively high-level content.

What is the fastest way to farm Gilded Crests in the endgame?

The most efficient method for farming Gilded Crests is consistently clearing Mythic+ dungeons at level +10 or higher, which awards a set amount of Gilded Crests upon completion, with bonus rewards if the dungeon timer is beaten. Alternatively, defeating bosses in the latter half of the Mythic raid difficulty provides a guaranteed drop of Gilded Crests per boss slain weekly.

Does PvP gear use this same upgrade system?

PvP gear uses a hybrid version of this system. Upgrading PvP gear using Valorstones increases its PvE (Player vs. Environment) item level, allowing you to use it more effectively in dungeons and raids. However, its PvP item level remains static and scales automatically to its maximum rated potential the moment you enter an Arena, Battleground, or War Mode combat zone, regardless of your upgrade level.

Optimize Your Character's Progression

Now that you understand the intricacies of the gear upgrade tracks and currency systems, it is time to put this knowledge into practice. Head into the dungeons, raids, and Delves of Midnight, collect your Crests, and systematically elevate your character to face the ultimate threats of the Void.