How to Get Epic Gear with Your Dream Engravings in Assassin’s Creed Shadows (1.0.2)

Assassin’s Creed Shadows, set in the war-torn Sengoku period of Japan, has captivated players with its dual protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke, and a gear system that offers near-infinite customization. Patch 1.0.2 has refined this system, making epic gear—powerful equipment just below legendary tier—more accessible and versatile, especially when paired with engravings that match your playstyle. Unlike legendary gear, which comes with fixed perks, epic gear lets you slot engravings of your choice, turning good builds into great ones. This article breaks down how to farm epic gear, customize it with the exact engravings you want, and dominate feudal Japan, drawing on community guides, patch notes, and gameplay insights.

The Power of Epic Gear and Custom Engravings

Epic gear in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the sweet spot for most players. It’s easier to obtain than legendary items, scales well into the endgame (up to Gear Level 60), and supports flexible engraving slots, letting you tailor weapons and armor to your preferred strategy—whether that’s Bleed-focused carnage for Yasuke or stealthy Poison strikes for Naoe. Engravings, applied at the Hideout’s Forge, range from stat boosts (+10% damage) to mechanics-altering perks (e.g., Bleed on parry). Patch 1.0.2 expanded the engraving pool and improved drop rates, making it the perfect time to hunt for epic gear with your ideal setup.

The community has been buzzing with strategies to farm these items, with Reddit threads and YouTube guides from April 2025 detailing methods to target specific gear types and engravings. Whether you’re after a katana that stacks Poison or armor that boosts assassinations, this guide will show you how to get exactly what you want, no RNG frustration required.

Step-by-Step Guide to Epic Gear with Custom Engravings

Here’s how to secure epic gear and engrave it to perfection, optimized for patch 1.0.2.

1. Farming Epic Gear: Where and How

Epic gear drops from a variety of sources, but some are more efficient than others. Here are the best methods, based on IGN and GameRant’s farming guides:

Kofun Dungeons: These tombs, scattered across Japan, are goldmines for epic gear. Each Kofun (e.g., Ishibutai in Tamba, Hosoikofun in Yamato) has chests with a 60% chance of epic drops, per Method.gg. Clear minibosses for bonus loot—Hosoikofun’s samurai captain drops epic katanas frequently. Complete The Legacy Project (Act 3) to unlock all Kofuns.
Castle Sieges: Raiding castles like Hiraiyama Fort (Wakasa) or Ueda Castle (Yamato) yields epic gear from boss chests and lieutenants. Patch 1.0.2 increased drop rates to ~40% for epic weapons/armor on Expert difficulty, per Ubisoft’s notes. Use Yasuke for faster clears or Naoe for stealth runs.
Target Boards: The Corrupt Daikan and Traitorous Lords boards (unlocked in Act 2) offer epic gear as rewards. Each target defeated grants a chest with a 50% epic drop chance, often tied to your equipped weapon type (e.g., wielding a kusarigama boosts kusarigama drops).
Merchants: Kyoto and Sakai merchants sell rotating epic gear after reaching Knowledge Rank 6 (~25 Knowledge Points from shrines). Check daily for weapons like the Loyal Traveler Katana or Iron Serpent Kusarigama, which start with one engraving slot.
Random Encounters: Bandit camps and ronin ambushes (marked by red icons on the map) drop epic gear at a 20% rate, ideal for early-game farming before Kofuns unlock.

Pro Tip: Equip the Fortune’s Bounty Amulet (looted from Sakai’s random chest, Settsu) to boost loot quality by 10%. Focus on Kofuns and castles for the highest yield—Game8 reports players can farm 5-10 epic pieces per hour this way.

2. Targeting Specific Gear Types

To get the gear you want (e.g., katana for Bleed, armor for stealth), manipulate the game’s loot system:

Weapon Type Bias: Equip the weapon type you’re hunting before opening chests or killing bosses. For example, wielding a naginata increases naginata drops, per TheGamer’s loot analysis. This works for Kofun chests and target board rewards.
Region Specialization: Different regions favor specific gear. Yamato drops more katanas and naginatas (ideal for Yasuke), while Wakasa leans toward kusarigamas and tantos (Naoe’s forte). Tamba’s Kofuns often yield armor, perfect for tanky builds.
Quest Rewards: Side quests like Wakasa Intrigue (Wakasa) or Nobutsuna’s Students (Yamato) guarantee epic gear tied to their theme—katanas for Nobutsuna, armor for Wakasa. Check the Hideout’s Notice Board for active quests.

For example, to farm a Bleed-focused Loyal Traveler Katana, hit Yamato’s Ueda Castle with a katana equipped, prioritizing lieutenants. For Naoe’s Iron Serpent Kusarigama (Poison), clear Wakasa’s Nochiseyama Castle with a kusarigama active.

3. Unlocking and Applying Engravings

Once you’ve got epic gear, it’s time to engrave it. Epic items typically have 1-2 slots (vs. legendary’s fixed perks), letting you choose from the Forge’s engraving pool. Here’s how to get the engravings you want:

Upgrade the Forge: Reach Forge Level 3 (requires 200 wood, 150 iron, 50 Mon) to access all epic engravings, including high-impact ones like Bleed on Melee or Poison Buildup. Unlock the Forge at Hideout Tier 1 (Act 1) and upgrade via the carpenter, per Method.gg.
Collect Engraving Sources: Engravings are unlocked by looting or dismantling gear with those perks. For example:

Bleed on Melee (+25% Bleed buildup): Dismantle Sage’s Reach Naginata (Hiraiyama Fort chest).
Poison Buildup (+20%): From Iron Serpent Kusarigama (Wakasa merchant).
Assassination Damage (+30%): From Mamushi Snake Robes (Nochiseyama Castle).
Parry Damage (+15%): From Protector’s Armor (Kyoto merchant, Knowledge Rank 8).

Farm Common Gear: Low-tier gear from bandit camps often carries basic engravings like Affliction Builder (+6%) or Katana Stats (+10%). Dismantle these at the Forge to build your pool early, as epic engravings require multiple unlocks (e.g., 3x Bleed on Melee to engrave twice).
Prioritize High-Impact Engravings: For Bleed builds, slot Bleed on Melee and Affliction Builder. For stealth, use Assassination Damage and Tool Buildup (+20% Kunai/Shuriken Bleed). For Yasuke’s tanking, try Parry Damage and Posture Attack Vulnerability (+15% Bleed on posture breaks).

Math Check: A Loyal Traveler Katana with Bleed on Melee (+25%) and Affliction Builder (+6%) adds ~31% Bleed buildup per hit, stacking with skills for ~100% in 3 hits vs. elites, per Reddit’s April 2025 analysis.

4. Optimizing Your Build

To maximize your epic gear, pair it with skills and trinkets:

Yasuke’s Bleed Build: Use Loyal Traveler Katana with Bleed on Melee and Crescent Strike (Samurai tree) for AOE Bleed. Add Iron Serpent Armor (Sakai merchant) with Affliction Builder. The Bone of the Fallen Warrior trinket (Ishibutai Kofun) boosts Bleed on posture attacks (+20%).
Naoe’s Stealth Build: Equip Iron Serpent Kusarigama with Assassination Damage and Rush Assassinate (Assassin tree) for chain kills. Slot Tools Master Mask (Wakasa chest) with Tool Buildup. Use Tatsu’s Triumph trinket (Kyoto merchant) for scaling Tool damage.
Global Passives: Unlock Multi-Target Expert (Kusarigama, +10% AOE Bleed), Damage with Affliction (Knowledge Rank 6, +15%), and Affliction Effectiveness (Katana, +12% afflicted damage) for universal boosts.

Why Epic Gear Shines

Epic gear’s flexibility is its superpower. Legendary items like Crimson’s Edge Katana (Bleed Kills Below Two Segments) are phenomenal but rigid, locking you into specific playstyles. Epic gear, like the Loyal Traveler Katana or Iron Serpent Armor, lets you mix and match—Bleed for bosses, Poison for crowds, or assassination buffs for stealth. Patch 1.0.2’s drop rate buffs (from ~25% to 40% in castles, per Ubisoft) make farming painless, and the expanded engraving pool ensures variety.

Community testing backs this up. A GameRant guide from April 2025 showed an epic Loyal Traveler Katana with Bleed on Melee clearing Hiraiyama Fort faster than a legendary Bloodshade Katana for Naoe, thanks to custom synergy with Rush Assassinate. Yasuke’s epic Iron Serpent Armor with Parry Damage tanks Kofun bosses better than Samurai Daimyo in prolonged fights, per TheGamer.

Real-World Performance

In practice, this system delivers. Yasuke with a Loyal Traveler Katana (Bleed on Melee, Affliction Builder) and Iron Serpent Armor (Parry Damage) storms Ueda Castle, using Crescent Strike to Bleed groups and parries to counter elites. Naoe’s Iron Serpent Kusarigama (Assassination Damage, Tool Buildup) clears Nochiseyama silently, chaining Rush Assassinate with Bleed Kunai. On Expert, where enemies hit harder, epic gear’s flexibility lets you adapt—swap to Poison Buildup for AOE or Posture Attack for bosses.

A YouTube video from April 2025 showcased Naoe’s epic kusarigama build wiping a Wakasa outpost in under three minutes, using Tool Buildup to stack Bleed via Shuriken. Yasuke’s katana build, per Reddit, one-shots Kofun lieutenants with Bleed on Melee and Samurai Stand, proving epic gear rivals legendaries with the right engravings.

The Bigger Picture

This farming method highlights Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ focus on player agency. Ubisoft’s 1.0.2 patch notes detail increased epic drop rates and engraving unlocks, responding to early complaints about RNG grind. The system rewards exploration (Kofuns, castles) and progression (Knowledge Ranks, Forge upgrades), aligning with the game’s theme of forging your path. It also balances Naoe and Yasuke—Naoe’s stealth thrives with Assassination Damage, while Yasuke’s combat loves Parry Damage.

Debates persist about epic vs. legendary gear. Some Reddit users argue legendaries like Crimson’s Edge outshine epics for raw power (Bleed Kills is unmatched), but others counter that epics’ flexibility suits diverse content—castles, Kofuns, boards. A rumored 1.0.3 patch might tweak drop rates further, per Steam forums, but for now, epics are king for custom builds.

Counterarguments: Any Downsides?

The system isn’t flawless. Farming epic gear takes time—Kofuns and castles require Act 2-3 progress, and low Knowledge Ranks limit merchant access. Engraving unlocks depend on dismantling, which can feel grindy if you’re missing perks like Bleed on Melee. Legendary gear, while less flexible, offers instant power (Bloodshade’s non-decaying buildup), tempting players to skip epics.

Yet, these issues are manageable. Early-game bandit camps provide starter epics, and dismantling common gear builds your engraving pool fast. Epics scale better for mixed playstyles—legendaries lock you into Bleed or Poison, but a Loyal Traveler Katana can pivot between both, per IGN. The grind rewards dedication, fitting Shadows’ high-skill ceiling.

Conclusion: Forge Your Perfect Build

Getting epic gear with your desired engravings in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a journey of strategy and triumph. From storming Kofuns to browsing Kyoto’s wares, every step brings you closer to a build that feels uniquely yours—Bleed-soaked katanas, Poison-laced kusarigamas, or stealth-perfect armor. Patch 1.0.2 makes the hunt smoother than ever, letting you craft Naoe’s shadow strikes or Yasuke’s battlefield dominance with precision.

Head to Yamato, dive into Ishibutai, or check the Notice Board. Your dream gear awaits, ready to carve your legend. What engraving are you chasing? The community’s buzzing—jump in.