As previously outlined, in the 5.5.3 patch, players can upgrade non-Thunderforged versions of items to have an item-level equivalent to their Thunderforged variant.

Additional Details

The core goal here is to make Thunderforging less of a random experience and to place value in non-Thunderforged items. A byproduct of this system is that players will gain item levels much faster.

The non-random/deterministic item level system has to live alongside a few other systems and changes made to Mists of Pandaria Classic that we feel have been beneficial overall and should be preserved.

Changes

Non-Thunderforged items will be upgradeable twice for 3 items level each time, totaling an increase of 6 item levels.
- These upgrades will cost 250 Valor Points each (500 total).
- These upgrades will only be available for the first 4 weeks of Throne of Thunder.
- Beginning with the 5th week (currently scheduled to be January 6, 2026), these will swap over to the current 5.5.1 cost for epic item upgrades (1000 Justice Points each (2000 total)).

With this early phase, our goal is to keep item level gains from trivializing the new content during the progression stages. While some item level gain is okay, we recognize it is the price for a less random system. This also keeps Valor Points relevant early on, keeps item upgrades feeling like a choice against reputation gear early, and keeps Thunderforged gear feeling valuable early on. A Thunderforged item will save you 500 Valor Points to spend somewhere else.

With the later phase, our goal is for non-Thunderforged gear, Justice Points, and Valor Points to be relevant. We’re aiming for Valor Points to be less-gated and frustrating for players who wish to upgrade off-spec or other gear they might choose.

Please Note
Valor Points will reset with the release of the Thunder King patch.

Throne of Thunder Item Upgrades