Assassin's Creed Shadows introduces a transmog system, enabling players to maintain a weapon's statistical benefits while customizing its cosmetic appearance. Discover how the game handles player progression and the depth of its customization options.
A Deep Look at Player Progression in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Weapon Customization and Transmog
In a recent deep dive, Assassin's Creed Shadows revealed intricate details about its progression system, including the ability to transmogrify weapons. This allows players to align their gear's aesthetics with their preferred stats. A detailed summary of player progression and customization, posted on the official website on March 1, 2025, was accompanied by insights from Associate Game Director Julien on the team's vision for the game's flexibility.
The transmog feature lets players alter a weapon's appearance without affecting its core statistics. If you favor a weapon's performance but not its look, you can change its visual model while preserving the original stats. This system is unlocked by building a Forge in your Hideout and can then be accessed directly from the inventory menu.
Julien elaborated, "Overall, the Forge is central to managing your inventory. It's where you upgrade or dismantle weapons and gear, though we'll share more details about the Hideout in an upcoming article." The system also allows for extensive mixing and matching. According to the post, "The final result could combine the blade of one weapon, the guard of another, and the handle of your latest acquisition."
A New Progression Loop
Following Creative Director Charles Benoit's discussion of combat mechanics at IGN Fan Fest 2025, Ubisoft's latest post offers a comprehensive breakdown of the progression system and its underlying mechanics.
Julien discussed the challenge of designing for two distinct protagonists: "Featuring two separate characters with unique archetypes in feudal Japan compelled us to reimagine our approach to player progression." She added, "Our goal was to adhere closely to the philosophy of mastery and martial arts."
Mastery Trees, Abilities, and Knowledge Ranks
The game features unique Mastery trees for protagonists Naoe and Yasuke, each tailored to their core archetypes—Naoe as a shinobi and assassin, and Yasuke as a samurai.
Julien explained, "The unique Mastery trees are designed to give players the freedom to specialize in a specific weapon, playstyle, or archetype, allowing them to deepen their expertise." She continued, "Points invested in a Mastery tree unlock additional bonuses for that weapon or archetype, further solidifying your advancement."
Abilities found within these trees, once unlocked, introduce new gameplay dynamics and increase damage output. However, accessing certain abilities and tree nodes requires reaching specific Knowledge Ranks. Players can increase their Knowledge Rank by engaging in non-violent activities such as locating Lost Pages in temples, praying at Shrines, practicing Kuji-kiri Meditation as Naoe, or learning new Kata as Yasuke.
Tailoring Your Playstyle
Assassin's Creed Shadows offers numerous features for crafting your ultimate playstyle. Perks enable players to "modify, enhance, or specialize a piece of equipment." These enhancements can improve stats, influence status effects, or create specific conditions that encourage varied gameplay approaches.
Despite their defined archetypes, Naoe and Yasuke offer flexible build potential. The post outlined example builds for each character, showcasing the game's extensive customization. Naoe can adopt an exotic combat style that amplifies ground attack damage and facilitates rapid engagement and disengagement. Conversely, Yasuke can be built for stealth and ranged combat, with specific perks and abilities enhancing his covert skills and archery proficiency.
With the wealth of information released in the lead-up to launch, anticipation continues to build among fans eager to experience the long-awaited game.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on March 20, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. For the latest updates, explore our related article below.
