Assassin’s Creed Shadows introduces a groundbreaking feature that lets players customize their weapons and gear to their heart's content. With the new transmog system, you can maintain the stats of your favorite weapons while changing their appearance to match your preferred style. Dive into the details of what Assassin’s Creed Shadows offers in terms of player progression and customization.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Provides A Deep Dive on Progression
Transmogging and Weapon Customization
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows (AC Shadows), players can explore a rich progression system that includes an innovative transmog feature. On March 1, 2025, AC Shadows released a comprehensive breakdown on its website detailing how players can customize their weapons and progress through the game. Julien, the Associate Game Director, shared insights into the game's vision and the extensive customization options available.
With the transmog feature, players can alter the appearance of their weapons while retaining their original stats. This means you can keep the stats of a powerful weapon and change its look to something that suits your aesthetic preferences. To unlock this feature, players must establish a Forge in their Hideout, accessible directly from the inventory menu.
Julien explained, "The Forge is central to managing your inventory, where you can upgrade or dismantle weapons and gear. We'll delve deeper into the Hideout's functionalities in an upcoming article." Additionally, players can mix and match different parts of weapons, allowing for a unique look. The post highlighted, "You can combine the blade of one weapon, the guard of another, and the handle of a third to create a truly personalized weapon."
New Progression Loop
At IGN Fan Fest 2025, AC Shadows’ Creative Director Charles Benoit discussed the game's combat mechanics and progression. The latest update from Ubisoft provides an in-depth look at the progression mechanics and how they work.
Julien discussed the challenge of designing progression for two protagonists in the feudal Japan setting, stating, "With two distinct characters and unique archetypes, we had to rethink our approach to player progression. Our aim was to stay true to the philosophy of mastery and martial arts."
Mastery, Abilities, and Knowledge Ranks
AC Shadows features unique mastery trees for its protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke, tailored to their respective archetypes. Naoe, the shinobi assassin, and Yasuke, the samurai, each have a mastery tree designed to enhance their primary skills.
Julien elaborated, "Our mastery trees allow players to focus on a specific weapon, playstyle, or archetype, deepening their mastery over time. Points invested in these trees unlock additional bonuses, reinforcing your progress." Abilities, found within the mastery trees, provide new gameplay mechanics and increased damage against enemies. Access to certain abilities and mastery points is tied to the player's Knowledge Rank, which can be improved through non-violent activities like finding Lost Pages, praying at Shrines, practicing Kuji-kiri Meditation for Naoe, or learning new Kata for Yasuke.
Customizing Your Playstyle
AC Shadows offers numerous options to tailor your playstyle to your liking. Perks allow players to modify, enhance, or specialize equipment, providing stat boosts, influencing afflictions, or creating unique conditions that encourage diverse playstyles.
Despite their initial archetypes, Naoe and Yasuke can be customized to suit different playstyles. The game's post showcased potential builds for each character, demonstrating the depth of customization available. Naoe can adopt an exotic combat style, enhancing ground attacks and enabling quick engagement and disengagement with enemies. Yasuke, on the other hand, can be built for stealth and ranged combat, with perks and abilities enhancing his stealth capabilities and archery skills.
The anticipation for Assassin’s Creed Shadows continues to build as fans eagerly await its release. With the extensive customization and progression systems revealed over the past weeks, players are excited to explore the game when it launches.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is scheduled to launch on March 20, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay updated with the latest news on Assassin’s Creed Shadows by checking out our dedicated article below!
