If you want to know how to upgrade gear in Midnight, this guide covers everything you need. We explain the Midnight upgrade system, its changes and updates, and share the details about new upgrade currencies and tracks.
Midnight Gear Upgrade Key Takeaways:
- The Midnight gear upgrade system is track-based: every item belongs to a fixed upgrade track.
- Each upgrade rank costs 20 Crests, and the weekly Crest cap in Season 1 is 100.
- Crests are track-specific: Hero items require Hero Crests, Myth items require Myth Crests.
- Crafted gear costs 80 Crests and is limited by the 2-Embellishment rule.
- The fastest item level gain comes from upgrading Hero and Myth gear, not Champion.
- Crests drop from raids, Mythic+, Delves, Prey, and open-world blue air sparks.
- Valorstones are removed; upgrades now require Crests and a small gold cost.
4.9How Gear Upgrade Works in Midnight
The Midnight gear upgrade system has a track-based structure. Every item has its own unique upgrade track. Every track has its own rank structure. Therefore, the gear upgrades are done by increasing the rank of the item. This, in turn, increases the item level of the gear. The upgrade system in Midnight has three main features that you should know about:
- Crest Costs and Weekly Cap.
- Gear Upgrade Limits.
- Upgrade Tracks and how they work.
All these aspects play an essential role in gear upgrades in Midnight. Some of them have seen some changes and were updated to fit into the current game, so make sure to read our explanations further. But if you want to get high ilvl Gear fast, asking our team for assistance is the best option.
Midnight Crest Costs and Weekly Cap
The cost of upgrading the gear in Midnight has been changed to 20 Crests per rank. Crests are now track-based: a Hero item requires a Hero Crest, and a Myth item requires a Myth Crest. Additionally, in WoW Midnight, there’s a weekly Crest cap of 100 per week in Season 1. This means you will be able to complete five upgrades in a week with the right usage of Crests.
📌 Valorstones are no longer required in the game. A small gold cost will be required to upgrade the gear.
Midnight Gear Upgrade Tracks
Every item has its own unique Midnight upgrade track. It could be an Adventurer track, a Veteran track, a Champion track, a Hero track, or a Myth track. If you have, say, an Adventurer item piece, you can upgrade it within the same track.
📌 A Champion item cannot be upgraded to a Hero item, nor can a Hero item be upgraded to a Myth item simply by increasing the item’s rank.
Also, with the latest Midnight pre-patch updates, the Champion track has been capped at 6/6. When this item is at the highest rank, it is comparable to a 2/6 item in the Hero track. Because of this, the Normal raid gear in the game will be worse in the long run compared to the previous expansions. Accordingly, the items in the Hero track can be upgraded all the way to 6/6 without affecting the Myth track.
| Upgrade Track | Item Level | World / Questing | Delves / Bountiful | Dungeons (Drops) | Dungeons (Great Vault) | Raids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unranked | 207 | Questing | — | — | — | — |
| 210 | Questing | — | — | — | — | |
| 214 | Questing | — | Normal/Follower | — | — | |
| 217 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Adventurer | 220 | World Activities | Tier 1 | — | — | — |
| 224 | — | Tier 2 | Heroic (Non-seasonal) | — | — | |
| 227 | — | Tier 3 | — | — | — | |
| 230 | — | Tier 4 | Heroic (Seasonal) | — | — | |
| Veteran | 233 | Great Vault | Tier 5 | — | Tier 1 | — |
| 237 | — | Tier 6 | — | Tier 2 | — | |
| 240 | Pinnacle Cache | — | Mythic (Non-seasonal) | Tier 3 | Raid Finder (LFR) | |
| 243 | — | — | — | Tier 4 | — | |
| Champion | 246 | — | Tier 7 | Mythic Seasonal | Tier 5 | — |
| 250 | World Boss | Tier 8–11 | Mythic +2–3 | — | Normal | |
| 253 | — | — | Mythic +4 | Tier 6 | — | |
| 256 | — | — | Mythic +5 | Tier 7 | — | |
| Hero | 259 | — | Tier 8–11 | Mythic +6–7 | Mythic +2–3 | Heroic |
| 263 | — | — | Mythic +8–9 | Mythic +4–5 | — | |
| 266 | — | — | Mythic +10 or higher | Mythic +6 | — | |
| 269 | — | — | — | Mythic +7–9 | — | |
| Myth | 272 | — | — | — | Mythic +10 or higher | Mythic |
| 276 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 279 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 282 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 285 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 289 | — | — | — | — | — |
Where to Upgrade Gear in Midnight
Midnight gear upgrade vendors (Cuzolth and Vaskarn) are located in the primary hub in Silvermoon City, The Bazaar.
✏️ To find Midnight gear upgrade vendors in Silvermoon, go to the right of the Sanctum of Light and enter the building with a Crest Exchange signboard.
You don’t have to go through a long list of quests to access the upgrade interface, but Vaskarn will ask you to complete the Adventurer Gear first to learn how to upgrade. Once you have reached the required level and started engaging in end-game content, the upgrade interface will automatically become available. This interface is character-based, not account-wide.
By the way, completing the Midnight Campaign will help you get access to all systems, including gear upgrades. If you want to do it fast, reach out to our team.
How Midnight Gear Upgrade Interface Works
To upgrade your gear in Midnight, you need to interact with the upgrade vendor to access the upgrade interface. Insert the gear you wish to upgrade into the upgrade slot, and you’ll see the current track, rank, and maximum rank the gear that you can reach. In addition to this, you can check the type of crest required to upgrade the gear, along with the gold cost.
📌 Once the maximum rank has been reached in a particular track, it cannot be upgraded further. Also, it cannot be changed to a different track.
What Currency Is Used to Upgrade Gear in Midnight
The primary gear upgrade currency in Midnight is Crests. These are used to progress an item in rank within its track. In Season 1, Crests are track-specific. This implies that Hero gear uses Hero Crests, while Myth gear uses Myth Crests. So there are the following types of Midnight Crests:
- Adventurer Dawncrests;
- Veteran Dawncrests;
- Champion Dawncrests;
- Hero Dawncrests;
- Myth Dawncrests.
It is not possible to upgrade gear using lower-level Crests to upgrade higher-level gear. Each track uses separate currencies, making this season more challenging. And the best thing — Valorstones are no longer used in Midnight. The upgrade system now requires a gold cost in addition to Crests.
Midnight Crest Costs
In WoW Midnight, the cost of upgrading each rank is 20 Crests. This is true for all ranks from 1/6 to 6/6 in any track. The cost does not increase with rank, so it’s easier to calculate and plan your upgrades early on.
Crafted gear now requires 80 Crests for crafting. This is equivalent to four upgrade ranks and is equivalent to the power of a high rank item in the same track. Earning this amount of Crests can be relatively fast through the Mythic+ dungeons, and even faster with our team.
Also, we have already outlined that the weekly Crest cap in Season 1 is 100 Crests. This implies that you can get five upgrades per week if used optimally, so plan ahead your upgrades and don’t rush if you don’t have BiS options yet.
How to Increase Item Level Fast in Midnight
The rate at which you can increase your item level in Midnight depends more on the timing of upgrading than farming. Inefficient upgrading means Crests will be wasted. The primary focus should be on upgrading Midnight items that have longevity beyond one week, rather than those that will be immediately replaced:
- Hero track items should be prioritized for upgrading. They have the highest potential for longevity in Season 1. They can be fully upgraded to 6/6 without negatively impacting Myth progression.
- Champion track items, in turn, should not be fully upgraded. Fully upgrading Champion track items will hinder your power gain.
- Myth track items should be fully upgraded as soon as they can be acquired. The difference from 0/6 to 6/6 is a large increase in item level.
It’s recommended to save your Crests for the BiS Gear that you can obtain from high-end content like raids and M+, or with the help of our team. Since there’s a weekly cap, it’s very easy to make a mistake and waste Crests on a low-tier item, so wait till you get at least Hero track gear.
Midnight Recommended Upgrade Order
For a fast and easy Midnight ilvl increase, you should plan your upgrades. It is best not to use Crests before a major difficulty unlock if better items are coming. This will ensure a higher overall item level based on the crest upgrade.
✏️ When receiving a 1/6 Mythic item, upgrading the Hero item first will allow a free rank upgrade on the Mythic equivalent.
| Slot Type | Upgrade Priority | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Very High | Largest item level impact on overall DPS or throughput |
| Tier Pieces | High | Set bonuses increase overall power |
| Trinkets | High (if BIS) | Strong scaling or unique effects |
| Armor Slots | Medium | Good for smoothing ilvl |
| Champion Track Items | Low | Weak long-term scaling |
Best Ways to Farm Upgrade Materials in Midnight
Crests in Midnight come from many endgame activities, so farming them comes naturally through the completion of the weekly routine. Because the weekly cap limits how many upgrades you can make, choosing the right content matters more than farming everything at once.
Different activities reward different Crest types, so you should focus on the content that rewards the appropriate Crests. Generally, the following Midnight Crest farming methods work well:
- Raids remain a consistent source of Crests. Normal and Heroic difficulties award mid-tier Crests, while Mythic raids reward Myth Crests.
- Mythic+ dungeons are one of the most reliable farming methods. Higher key levels reward higher-tier Crests and also improve your Weekly Vault options.
- Delves provide upgrade materials depending on the tier’s difficulty.
- Prey on Nightmare difficulty may drop Champion-track items and Crests, although tuning may change in future seasons.
- While flying in certain zones, you may encounter floating blue sparks in the air. Collecting them rewards Coffer Key Shards and occasionally Adventurer Crests.
| Activity | Crest Type | Best For | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mythic Raid | Myth | Endgame upgrades | Very High |
| Heroic Raid | Hero | Mid-to-high progression | High |
| Mythic+ (High Keys) | Hero / Myth | Consistent farming | Very High |
| Delves | Varies by Tier | Supplemental upgrades | Medium |
| Prey | Champion / Hero (S1) | Extra gearing options | Medium |
| Blue Air Sparks | Adventurer | Passive income | Low |
Midnight Gear Upgrade FAQ
This section compiles a list of the most frequent questions about the Midnight gear upgrade system and its basics. Additionally, it will help you understand the Midnight upgrade system better.
How Can I Upgrade Gear in Midnight?
Firstly, you need to go to the upgrade vendor in the expansion hub and check the upgrade price. If you have sufficient currency, you can put your item in the interface and use the required Crests to upgrade your item rank.
What Is the Weekly Crest Cap in Midnight?
For Season 1, the weekly Crest cap will be 100 Crests per Crest type. This means you can upgrade your item up to five times per week. However, this might change in the coming seasons.
How Do You Increase Item Level Fast in Midnight?
You need to upgrade your Hero and Myth items, upgrade your weapons and tier pieces, and avoid using Crests on equipment that will change rapidly.
Where Do Crests Drop in Midnight?
Crests drop from raids, Mythic+ dungeons, Delves, Prey activities, and some open-world sources, such as blue air sparks while flying.
What Is the Maximum Item Level in Midnight Season 1?
Myth track 6/6 or 289 ilvl represents the highest achievable item level in Midnight Season 1.
4.9In summary, upgrading gear in Midnight became easier, but now you need to plan your upgrades. Also, remember to upgrade the best slots starting from the Hero track to optimize Crest costs, and complete weekly activities to ensure reaching the weekly Crest cap.
