Crest Economy Mastery

Proper crest management across a tier doesn't seem like a big deal on a personal level. But for a whole raid team, it can eventually be the difference between wiping on 0,3% or killing a boss. This guide shows you the math behind efficient crest usage and helps you avoid the mistakes to make sure you get the most out of this low hanging fruit.

Basic Crest Facts

You earn 90 crests per week per type. You can convert 45 lower-tier crests for 15 higher-tier crests, but this doesn't increase your total, it will just redistributes what you have. Only convert when you actually need those higher crests immediately and don't have time to earn them normally. If in the end of the tier you end up extending you may want to be able to convert everything before raid on Wednesday!

The Heroic Crest Strategy

Your first goal is getting every equipment slot to 4/6 Heroic track. Mythic+ (+10's) gives you access to 3/6 Heroic Track gear, meaning that this can always be the baseline you start upgrading from:

The math: You have 13 (or 14 if you're a dual wielder, then count needing +15 crests) equipment slots that need Heroic crests this tier. At 15 crests per slot for +10 keys, you need 195 total Heroic crests to cap everything.

This tier's advantages: Legendary cloak (free) and special belt (no Heroic crests needed) save you 30 crests compared to normal tiers.

In two resets: You get 180 Heroic crests (90 x 2). You're short just 15 crests, so you need to save only 1 slot through crafting, Mythic items, or higher-level Heroic raid drops.

The #1 Mistake: Upgrading 2/6 Heroic Items

This single mistake ruins more crest economies than anything else. When you upgrade a 2/6 Heroic item, you're spending 30 crests total (15 to get to 3/6, then 15 to get to 4/6). Instead, you could run higher keys to get a 3/6 item and spend only 15 crests to reach the same 4/6 result.

Example: Your 2/6 gloves need 30 crests to reach 4/6. A +10 key gives you 3/6 gloves that need only 15 crests. You saved 15 crests and got the exact same outcome.

Mythic Crest Scarcity

Mythic crests are the bottleneck. You earn 90 per week but spending is unpredictable:

The reality: You're often spending crests faster than you earn them. Getting Mythic gloves, bracers, or other lower value slots from vault or raid? Don't rush to upgrade them. Next reset you might get better items for higher-value slots and then you're stuck.

Weekly Math: Craft every other week (30 crests/week average) + vault item (75 crests/week average) = 105 crests spent vs 90 earned. You're already 15 crests behind before raid drops. This means that most people will be short on crests, not on items. Especially if your guild balances out items across raiders to keep crests in mind.

Especially on lower value slots you should very carefully consider if you're spending Mythic Crests. Unless you are on a boss where you need the DPS, you can greed it. On a personal level for you it's not a huge deal, but if your whole team has this mindset on later bosses it can really make a big difference.

Crafted vs Raid Item Economics

Crafted Item Costs: 60 crests for a 5/6 Mythic equivalent. This is the same cost as upgrading a M+ vault item from 1/6 to 5/6, making crafted items competitive for crest efficiency.

Raid Item Advantage: Early raid bosses now drop 2/6 Mythic items instead of 1/6 like in previous tiers. This saves you 15 crests compared to crafted items since you don't need that first upgrade. Raid items can also be upgraded one tier higher (6/6 vs crafted 5/6 cap).

The Strategic Choice:

• Crafted items: Guaranteed slots and stats, immediate power, 60 crests total
• Raid items: Cheaper to reach 5/6 (45 crests from 2/6 base), can reach 6/6 for additional 15 crests, but depend on RNG drops

Timing Considerations: Crafted items provide immediate power while raid items offer better long-term potential. The choice depends on your progression timeline and slot availability.

The Simple Rules

The Bottom Line

Crest management isn't mechanically hard, the real challenge comes when deciding who gets an item that costs crests. For personal crest usage, it's mostly discipline and following the math.

Team Coordination: Encourage raiders to double-check with each other before spending Mythic crests. Mistakes accumulate over a tier and they're easily avoided. As long as you're on a boss where additional HP/DPS doesn't matter, you can afford to be patient and greed for better opportunities.

The Math: Crests are time-gated currency. Every inefficient decision prevents an upgrade in the future.

Plan your upgrades around weekly limits, prioritize high-value slots, and avoid the 2/6 Heroic trap. Do this and you'll stay ahead of others.