Upgrading a full set of heirlooms costs several hundred thousand gold. Each piece needs 37,500 gold in casings just to reach the level-69 tier (5,000 + 7,500 + 10,000 + 15,000 for the Ancient, Timeworn, Weathered and Eternal steps), and every newer expansion adds one more five-figure step per piece. An eight-piece set therefore runs about 300,000 gold to 69 alone, before the current top tier.
Heirloom upgrade costs per piece
| Upgrade step | Raises the piece to | Vendor price (per piece) |
| Base heirloom (bought new) | Level 29 | Hundreds of gold, not thousands |
| Ancient Heirloom Casing / Scabbard | Level 39 | 5,000 gold |
| Timeworn Heirloom Casing / Scabbard | Level 49 | 7,500 gold |
| Weathered Heirloom Casing / Scabbard | Level 59 | 10,000 gold |
| Eternal Heirloom Casing / Scabbard | Level 69 | 15,000 gold |
| Newest tier(s) for the current cap | Level 79 and beyond | Five-figure range, confirm on the vendor |
- Total to 69 for one piece: 37,500 gold in casings, on top of the base purchase.
- Typical leveling set: head, shoulders, chest, legs, cloak, two trinkets and a weapon — eight pieces, so around 300,000 gold to the 69 tier.
- Where to buy: Krom Stoutarm in Ironforge's Hall of Explorers (Alliance) or Estelle Gendry in Orgrimmar (Horde). Prices are the same on both sides.
- Discounts: these are ordinary city vendors, so your reputation with Ironforge or Orgrimmar trims the listed price. Buy on the character with the best standing.
- Account-wide: use the casing once on the heirloom in your Collections tab and every copy on every character is upgraded. You never pay twice for the same item.
How much does it cost to max out one heirloom?
Plan on 37,500 gold to take a single armor piece or weapon from its base level-29 cap through the Eternal step at 69: 5,000, then 7,500, then 10,000, then 15,000. The tier above that for the current level cap is a separate purchase in the same five-figure range, so a piece taken all the way to the top costs well over 50,000 gold.
Pieces you upgraded in earlier expansions keep their progress. If you paid for the old level-120 upgrade back in Battle for Azeroth, that piece already sits at the 59 tier today and you only owe the steps above it.
Do you actually need to upgrade every heirloom?
No, and almost nobody does. The Collections tab lists well over a hundred heirlooms across every armor type and weapon class, and upgrading all of them would cost millions. The practical target is one set for the armor type you level most, and a weapon or two.
Remember that heirlooms have not given bonus experience since the Shadowlands squish. What you get now is gear that scales with you, so you never stop to re-gear while leveling, plus set bonuses tied to rested experience and level-up quality-of-life perks that kick in when you wear several pieces at once.
Is upgrading heirlooms worth the gold?
Honest answer: it is a convenience, not a speed boost. Leveling in Chromie Time or through dungeon spam is quick enough that many players simply wear the base heirlooms until 29 and then use quest and dungeon drops. Upgrades pay off if you roll a lot of alts and hate managing bags and gear every ten levels, or if you want the set bonuses active for the whole climb.
If gold is tight, upgrade the chest and shoulders first (the two most common quest-reward slots you would otherwise replace constantly), then the weapon, then fill the rest as gold allows.
What is the cheapest way to fund a full set?
Old raids, transmog farming and crafting cooldowns are the usual sources, but the fastest single lever is the reputation discount: an exalted character buying every casing saves a meaningful chunk across a 300,000-gold set. Check your city reputation before you start spending.
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