With Patch 9.0.5 you can upgrade items in World of Warcraft. We will show you how it works and where to find the NPC for that.
Patch 9.0.5 of World of Warcraft is live and introduced the item upgrading system. However, the game does not reveal much about the system on its own and omits where the NPC for upgrading is located or what the limits for upgrading items are. We will reveal all the important details about upgrading through Valor.
Where can items be upgraded? Item upgrading is possible in the capital of the Shadowlands, in Oribos. To do this, head to the NPC Aggressor Zo’dash. You can find him in the west of Oribos in the area “The Enclave”. He is the same NPC that is used by PvP players to upgrade their items. You can see his exact position on this map:
Which items can be upgraded? Basically, you can upgrade all items you get from “Mythic+” dungeons, as long as you received them after March 10, 2021, that is, after the release of Patch 9.0.5. Items that you obtained from “Mythic+” before that cannot be upgraded.
How far can items be upgraded? How far you can upgrade corresponding items depends on the achievements you have earned with your character. In general, the rule is: The higher the level at which you have completed all Keystone dungeons, the further you can upgrade an item. You can find the exact data in this list:
| Required Achievement | Maximum Upgrade |
| No Achievement | Item level 200 |
| All Dungeons on M+5 (on time) | Item level 207 |
| All Dungeons on M+10 (on time) | Item level 213 |
| All Dungeons on M+15 (on time) | Item level 220 |
How do you get Valor? You earn Valor points in two different ways, although one should be seen as merely a nice bonus.
- Dungeons of the “Mythic+” category grant 135 Valor upon completion. It does not matter what difficulty the dungeon had. Both M+2 and M+15 grant 135 Valor each.
- Calling quests give a small amount of Valor as a bonus. The “normal” calling quests give 35 Valor, while the epic ones grant 50 Valor.
The most efficient farming method for Valor is currently completing low dungeons of the “Mythic+” category in Shadowlands.
How expensive is upgrading? That varies a lot and depends on the item you want to upgrade. Upgrading off-hand items and rings costs about 250 Valor, while hefty two-handed weapons cost a whopping 1,000 Valor. You can find the current values in this list:
| Item | Valor Cost (per rank) |
| Shield, Off-hand, Ring, Cloak, Bracers, Necklace | 250 |
| Trinket, Belt, Shoulders, Gloves, Boots | 400 |
| Helmet, Legs, Chest | 475 |
| One-handed Agility Weapons | 500 |
| One-handed Intelligence Weapons | 750 |
| Two-handed Weapons | 1,000 |
| One-handed Strength Weapons | Unknown (500 or 750) |
The costs apply per upgrade, meaning each increase of 3 or 4 item levels.
How much Valor can be accumulated? Basically, there is no upper limit to how much Valor your character can carry at once in their inventory. However, there is a fundamental cap on how much Valor each character can accumulate.
- The cap starts at 5,000 Valor.
- Every week, this cap increases by 750 Valor.
In week 1, you can therefore accumulate a maximum of 5,000 Valor, in week 2 then 5,750, in week 3 then 6,500 and so on. Once you have caught up to the cap, you need only 750 Valor each week.
What do you think of the new system for upgrading items? A cool, meaningful thing? Or is it a grind that is too long that you have already lost interest in?
