TL;DR
- Recruit blacksmith Heiji early in Sakai to unlock forge construction
- Upgrade gear to match character level with increasing mon and material costs
- Progress forge levels (1-3) to unlock higher upgrade caps and engraving capabilities
- Apply engravings only to epic/legendary gear for bonus damage and ability perks
- Balance resource investment between forge upgrades and gear enhancements
Ensuring your combat equipment remains effective throughout your journey in Assassin’s Creed Shadows requires consistent gear enhancement. As you advance through the campaign, your character’s increasing power level will quickly outpace your current armaments, making upgrades essential for survival.
Considering gear improvement in Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Your equipment pieces, once obtained, are locked to your current character progression tier. Consequently, they become progressively less effective as you face more challenging adversaries. The offensive output from your primary weapon, along with the defensive bonuses offered by your protective gear, may prove insufficient against elite opponents. This comprehensive guide explores the blacksmith enhancement mechanics thoroughly, enabling you to maintain combat effectiveness throughout your entire adventure.
Gear Scaling Mechanics: Every weapon and armor piece has a base level determined when acquired, which doesn’t automatically scale with your character advancement. This creates a critical gameplay loop where regular upgrades become mandatory rather than optional.
Progression Requirements: Your equipment can only be enhanced to match your current character level, creating a natural pacing mechanism for gear progression throughout the game.
Enhancing your combat equipment follows a clear progression path. You must first secure the services of the master blacksmith NPC, Heiji, then establish the Forge structure within your operational headquarters.
The mission to locate Heiji becomes available during the initial campaign stages. Following the opening sequence, your ally Tomiko informs Naoe about a skilled craftsman named Heiji who could significantly bolster your operational capabilities.
Where to find Heiji in Sakai
Departing from your headquarters/central base, travel directly southwest. Upon reaching the coastline, you’ll arrive in the settlement of Sakai. Heiji operates just east of the Port of Sakai. When you enter this region, continue moving eastward while holding the targeting button. You’ll observe a cyan-colored indicator marking Heiji’s precise position.
After assisting Heiji with his personal objective, he’ll relocate to your headquarters. This enables construction of the Forge facility within your base. At this juncture, you can immediately consult with Heiji to begin enhancing your protective gear and offensive tools in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Successfully completing Heiji’s assignment secures his allegiance to your organization.
How the weapons and armor upgrade system works
The Forge structure features multiple development stages, requiring strategic allocation of headquarters resources to access advanced functionalities:
- Level 1 Forge: Heiji can enhance your equipment components only to level 20 maximum.
- Level 2 Forge: Gear items become upgradeable to level 40 ceiling. You gain the ability to implement non-legendary engravings.
- Level 3 Forge: Offensive and defensive equipment can reach level 60 maximum. You also unlock legendary engraving application capabilities.
When you improve your Assassin’s Creed Shadows weaponry and protective gear, you’ll observe comprehensive statistical improvements across all attributes. However, critically note that equipment enhancement cannot exceed your character’s current progression level. If Yasuke remains at level 16, his swords can only reach level 16 enhancement. Advancement beyond this threshold remains impossible, regardless of Forge development status. Additionally, upgrade procedures consume both currency (mon) and crafting components, so ensure adequate resource reserves for your enhancement requirements.
Enhancing your equipment components significantly elevates their performance metrics.
Strategic Resource Management: Prioritize which gear pieces to upgrade first based on your playstyle—focus on primary weapons for damage dealers or armor for stealth-focused characters.
What are engravings?
Important: Engraving applications remain exclusive to epic and legendary quality weapons and armor. Consider these as modification slots providing supplementary benefits. Available enhancements include augmented damage output, armor penetration capabilities, elevated critical strike probability, and supplementary advantages for specialized techniques/capabilities.
That covers all essential knowledge regarding equipment enhancement in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Should you experience shortages in necessary components/currency, consult our specialized articles covering currency acquisition methods and headquarters resource gathering techniques.
Requiring additional assistance as you progress through Sengoku Jidai period Japan? We provide comprehensive support, so explore our Assassin’s Creed Shadows complete guidance repository.
Engraving Optimization Strategy: Plan your engraving combinations carefully—matching damage bonuses with critical chance enhancements can create powerful synergistic effects for specific combat approaches.
Action Checklist
- Complete Heiji’s recruitment quest in Sakai (southwest from hideout)
- Construct Forge level 1 in your hideout using base resources
- Upgrade primary weapon to match current character level
- Progressively upgrade Forge to levels 2 and 3 as resources allow
- Apply strategic engravings to epic/legendary gear for combat specialization
No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » How To Upgrade Weapons And Armor In Assassin’s Creed Shadows Master weapon and armor upgrades in Assassin's Creed Shadows with strategic blacksmith mechanics and forge optimization
