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, including a robust transmogging system. In a March 1, 2025, website post, Associate Game Director Julien detailed the game's progression and customization features. The transmog feature allows players to alter the appearance of their weapons without affecting their stats. This means you can keep the powerful stats of a weapon while making it visually match your preferred aesthetic. This feature is unlocked by building a Forge in your Hideout, accessible afterward from the inventory menu.
Julien explained the Forge's broader role, 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, the game allows for extensive mixing and matching of weapon components: "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 IGN Fan Fest 2025 discussions about combat mechanics and progression (led by Creative Director Charles Benoit), Ubisoft provided a more in-depth look at player progression in AC Shadows. Julien discussed the challenges 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 and Yasuke, tailored to their respective shinobi/assassin and samurai archetypes. Julien explained the design philosophy: "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 exciting gameplay twists and increased damage output. However, access to certain abilities and mastery points is tied to the player's Knowledge Rank, increased through non-violent activities like discovering Lost Pages, praying at Shrines, practicing Kuji-kiri Meditation (Naoe), or learning new Kata (Yasuke).
Customizing Your Playstyle
AC Shadows provides extensive options for customizing your playstyle. Perks allow players to "modify, enhance, or specialize a piece of equipment," offering stat improvements, affliction influences, and unique gameplay conditions.
Despite their initial archetypes, both Naoe and Yasuke offer significant build diversity. The post showcased examples: Naoe can be built for aggressive, high-damage ground combat with quick engagement/disengagement, while Yasuke can be customized for stealth and ranged attacks, leveraging perks and abilities to enhance his stealth and archery capabilities.
With the recent reveals, anticipation for AC Shadows is at a fever pitch. The game launches March 20, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates!
