As you make your way through the Japanese countryside in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you may wonder if there is any way to change the way your equipment looks? After all, the previous entries in the Assassin’s Creed franchise have allowed players to alter the appearance of their gear, so shouldn’t Shadows offer the same option? For those fans looking to fully customize Naoe and Yasuke’s gear, the short answer is, yes, you can change weapon and armor appearance in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
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How to Unlock Transmog in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Start With the Hideout:
While the Transmog system in AC Shadows is relatively easy to use, it is not available from the start of the game. You may assume that the developers at Ubisoft simply decided not to include the feature this time around, but that is not the case.
You can change the appearance of any armor piece or weapon in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but you need to meet a series of requirements before the system becomes available in the Inventory menu.
Your first goal is to complete the prologue, and unlock the Hideout at Tomiko’s residence. This will serve as the home base for Naoe and Yasuke over the course of the game. This happens relatively early in Shadows, so you won’t have to wait long.
Recruit the Blacksmith:
Once you have established the Hideout, you’ll have several quest options. If you want to unlock the Transmog system as quickly as possible, you’ll want to follow Tomiko‘s first quest, “The Way of the Blacksmith.” This will not only get you one step closer to changing the look of your equipment, but it is also how you unlock the armor and weapon upgrade system, so there is a strong case that this quest should come first for all players.
Once you recruit Heiji, there is one final step to unlocking the Transmog system: building the Forge module at the Hideout.
Build the Forge:
With Heiji now part of the League, you can build a new Forge for the hideout. To do that, go into the main Hideout building and look for the small model of the compound. This is where you can customize the entire Hideout facility. Look for the Forge among the various building projects. The resource requirements are not bad for the initial build. If you need more resources, try raiding the nearby castles, most of which are practically overflowing with materials.
With the Forge built, visit Heiji and speak with him. He will introduce you to the various mechanics the Forge has to offer. Once you are done speaking with him, open the Inventory menu. You should now see a brief explanation of the Transmog system.
How to Change Item Appearance in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Everything you need to change the look of an item’s appearance can be found in Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Inventory Menu. Once the system is unlocked through the method listed above, you simply need to open the Inventory Menu. The system works the same regardless of which character you’re playing as.
In the Inventory Menu, place the cursor over the item type you want to change. In the bottom right corner of the screen, you’ll see the option to Customize that item. Press Y/Triangle to open a menu of available appearance options. Currently, it appears that once you find an item, you can use its appearance in the Transmog system.
This will work the same with all three weapon types, and both armor types.
- Released
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March 20, 2025
- Engine
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AnvilNext
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unknown
- X|S Optimized
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Yes
- Number of Players
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1