Developer Insights: New Upgrade System in Embers of Neltharion

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In this Developer Insight, WoW Developer Chimes takes you deep into the new upgrade system arriving with the release of the Embers of Neltharion content update.

One of the features in the Embers of Neltharion content update that we’re rolling out for Dragonflight Season Two is a new upgrade system that will replace many of the various upgrade systems currently in place, such as Valor and Storm Gear, with a single system that covers most of the game. This system will last for the duration of Season Two, and after that we’ll evaluate how well it’s working and whether we  want to keep it.

The basics of this system are simple: you’ll earn a new currency called Flightstones from just about anything you do— complete a world quest, kill a unique creature, run a Mythic Keystone dungeon, kill a raid boss, etc. You’ll also get items called Shadowflame Crests (or fragments of them), which come in four varieties from different content difficulty levels. Shadowflame Crests and their fragments will also come from a wide range of content, including outdoor gameplay, Mythic+ dungeons, and raids. You’ll be able to upgrade almost any item in Season Two’s max-level gameplay ecosystem, whether it comes from a World Quest or a Mythic raid boss, by spending Flightstones and Shadowflame Crests.

There are three categories of gear that are not part of this system. The first is crafted gear, which will be upgraded using recrafting, much the same as it’s done now. The other kind of gear not included in this upgrade system is PvP gear. PvP gearing will continue to work as it did in Dragonflight Season One. The final kind of gear not available for these upgrades is the very top end of gear. Anything that’s at an item level comparable to a Mythic Raid