One of the major changes coming in the Embers of Neltharion update is a brand new gear upgrade system. Not only is there a new system, but it will replace most of the other systems you’re likely used to. The World of Warcraft team has just shared an overview of the new system and how it will work to prepare yourself for the new ways to upgrade gear after the May 2nd launch.
The new system is designed with some flexibility so you'll be able to optimize gear by upgrading nearly any item you can obtain this season from quests, dungeons, or even the Shadowed Crucible. There are two new upgrade currencies to get familiar with: Flightstones and Shadowflame Crests.
You can only have 2,000 Flightstones at a time during the season, but there are no caps on how many you can earn or spend in a week. This strikes a balance between waiting for that perfect piece you’re missing and continuously earning new ways to upgrade your stuff. You’ll find them in the currencies tab, where you can use them to upgrade Season 2 equipment.
Shadowflame Crests have four varieties. Earning these will depend on the difficulty of the content you play through, as different tiers of crests will drop for different activities. Ending on the type of upgrade you need, you'll have to seek out the particular types of activities that will drop the type you need. Shadowflame Crest fragments are also found all over the Dragon Isles, and the more dangerous the activity you take on, the more powerful fragments will drop. You'll also be able to purchase a limited number of fragments each week.
Item upgrade tracks will be: Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion–which all have eight possible upgrade levels–and Hero, which has five. There are some restrictions and nuances, such as “Mythic gear is so powerful that even a Crest cannot upgrade it”. Enchanters will have the special ability to create Enchanted Shadowflame Crests, which can let you set the item level range of crafted gear pieces.
There’s a lot more information in the step by step breakdown of the new system, but overall, it is going to take some getting used to. Still, upgrading gear and making sure you’ve got the best you can possibly have is a natural step for many, so we can expect more guidance from the community when everyone gets their hands on the new system.
