World of Warcraft: Dragonflight's Embers of Neltharion update introduced a new, more universal gear upgrade system that Blizzard hoped would make gearing in the MMORPG simpler. And while the new system certainly has its share of benefits over the old system, it has also left some players scratching their heads and consulting some complicated-looking charts in order to grasp it.

The new system makes it so PvE gear earned from raids, the open world, and Mythic+ dungeons can be upgraded using currencies called Flightstones and Shadowflame Crests, replacing one-off systems like the old Valor system that was used exclusively to upgrade Mythic+ gear. It sounds good on paper, and it is definitely a great way for those who are more focused on open world content or raiding to continue progressing their characters by doing a wider variety of content. Blizzard said in a FAQ the goal of the system was to keep the "base player experience simple."

Simple, however, seems up for debate. While Flightstones are earned from just about any endgame activity and are fairly straightforward, the real confusion surrounding the new system stems from the multiple different types of crests, crest fragments, and sub-divisions of gear that dictate how powerful a particular piece of gear can become. Depending on the difficulty of the content the gear was acquired from, it requires different types of crests to be upgraded. That has led to confused players attempting to help their fellow gamers make sense of it all in the form of various different flow charts and "cheat sheets," like the one below from Reddit user ernest314. Another chart from user ChiefSach breaks it down in a different way.