Planning to upgrade your weapons and armors in Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Your gear pieces, once acquired, are set based on your character’s level. As such, they won’t be viable as you continue to progress. The damage that your weapon deals, and the bonuses provided by your armor, might not be enough for tougher encounters. Our guide discusses how the blacksmith upgrade mechanic works so you can continue using your armaments in the long run.
How to upgrade weapons and armor in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Upgrading weapons and armors is fairly straightforward. You simply need to recruit the blacksmith NPC, Heiji, and then build the Forge facility in your hideout.
You’ll receive the quest to find Heiji early in the campaign. After the introductory portion, Tomiko tells Naoe that a man named Heiji might be able to help your cause.
Where to find Heiji in Sakai
From your hideout/main base, simply go southwest in a straight line. Once you reach the coast, you should find yourself in the town of Sakai. Heiji is just east of the Port of Sakai. So, upon arriving at the area, keep heading east and hold down the aim button. You should see a light blue dot denoting Heiji’s location.
After helping Heiji with his task, he’ll head over to your hideout. This will allow you to construct the Forge in your hideout. At this point, you could go ahead and talk to Heiji to upgrade armors and weapons in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
How the weapons and armor upgrade system works
The Forge building has several levels, and you need to spend hideout resources if you want to unlock additional functions:
- Level 1 Forge: Heiji can only upgrade your gear pieces up to level 20.
- Level 2 Forge: Items can be upgraded up to level 40. You can also apply non-legendary engravings.
- Level 3 Forge: Weapons and armor can be upgraded up to level 60. You can also apply legendary engravings.
As you upgrade your Assassin’s Creed Shadows weapons and armor, you’ll notice that all their stats will increase, too. However, do take note that you may only upgrade your gear up to your character’s current level. If Yasuke is only level 16, then you can only upgrade his katanas up to level 16. You can’t go past that, even if you’ve already built a max-level Forge. Likewise, upgrades cost both mon and materials, so make sure that you have enough resources for your needs.
What are engravings?
Note that engravings can only be applied to epic and legendary rarity weapons and armor. Think of these as mods that offer bonus effects. These include bonus damage, armor-piercing, higher critical hit chance, and additional perks for skills/abilities.
That’s everything you need to know about how to upgrade weapons and armor in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. If you lack the necessary materials/currency, you can read our articles about how to get more mon and how to obtain more hideout resources.
Do you need more help as you continue your adventure throughout Sengoku Jidai era Japan? We’ve got you covered, so just take a look at our Assassin’s Creed Shadows guides hub.