Assassin's Creed Shadows Allows for Transmogging, Keeping a Weapon's Looks While Changing Its Stats

Assassin's Creed Shadows: Deep Dive into Progression and Customization

Transmogging and Weapon Customization

Assassin's Creed Shadows (AC Shadows) offers players extensive customization options, highlighted by its robust transmogging system. In a March 1, 2025, blog post, Associate Game Director Julien detailed the game's progression and customization features. The transmog feature allows players to change a weapon's appearance while retaining its original stats. This is unlocked by building a Forge in the Hideout, accessible from the inventory menu.

Julien explained the Forge's importance in inventory management, stating, "Overall, the Forge plays a key part in managing your inventory. There you can upgrade or dismantle weapons & gear, but we will share more in an upcoming article on the Hideout." Furthermore, players can mix and match weapon components, creating truly unique looks: "The final result could be the blade of one weapon, with the guard of another, and the handle of your newly acquired one."

A New Progression Loop

Following up on Creative Director Charles Benoit's IGN Fan Fest 2025 discussion of combat and progression, Ubisoft provided a deeper look at the mechanics. Julien addressed the challenge of designing progression for two protagonists: "Having two separate characters with unique archetypes in our feudal Japan world pushed us to rethink how we wanted to approach player progression. Our goal was to stay as close as possible to the philosophy of mastery and martial art."

Mastery, Abilities, and Knowledge Ranks

AC Shadows features unique mastery trees for Naoe (shinobi/assassin) and Yasuke (samurai). These trees focus on each character's archetype, allowing players to specialize their playstyle.

Julien explained, "With the unique Mastery trees, we want to give players the freedom to dedicate themselves into a specific weapon, playstyle, or archetype, and ensure they can deepen their mastery of it. The points you invest in a Mastery tree also unlock additional bonuses for that weapon or archetype, further reinforcing your progress."

Mastery trees unlock abilities that add new gameplay elements and increased damage. However, access to certain abilities and mastery points is tied to the player's Knowledge Rank, increased through non-violent activities like finding Lost Pages, praying at Shrines, performing Kuji-kiri Meditation (Naoe), or learning new Kata (Yasuke).

Customizing Your Playstyle

AC Shadows allows for extensive playstyle customization. Perks modify, enhance, or specialize equipment, offering stat improvements, affliction influences, and unique gameplay conditions. Despite their initial archetypes, both Naoe and Yasuke offer diverse build possibilities. Examples include a damage-focused, mobile build for Naoe, and a stealth/ranged build for Yasuke.

With its extensive customization and deep progression systems, Assassin's Creed Shadows promises a rich and rewarding experience. The game launches March 20, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay updated on the latest news!