Ubisoft Reveals Fully Customizable HUD for Assassin's Creed Shadows, Promises More Details in May

Key facts

• Ubisoft showed a redesigned interface for Assassin's Creed Shadows that is cleaner, context-aware, and fully customizable.
• Players can choose from four presets: Default, Simple, Minimal, and Disabled.
• Default includes most elements with maximum hints and combat information.
• Simple offers a streamlined interface with basic prompts.
• Minimal shows only health, interactions, and ship aiming.
• Disabled removes almost all interface elements.
• Manual customization allows toggling of blood effects, VFX, notifications, and individual combat or stealth indicators.
• Developers recommend starting with Default or Simple and gradually adjusting settings; additional details promised in May.

A New Level of Player Control

Ubisoft has unveiled a radically redesigned interface for the upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows, granting players unprecedented control over what appears on screen. The new HUD is cleaner, context-aware, and fully customizable, allowing each user to tailor the experience to their preference. Elements now appear only when needed — weapon selection, combat indicators, and health bars fade in and out dynamically. Every component can be individually toggled on or off, from blood effects and VFX to notifications and targeting reticles.

Four Presets for Every Playstyle

The interface offers four preset modes to suit different levels of experience. Default keeps most elements active, providing maximum hints and combat information. Simple streamlines the display with basic prompts. Minimal restricts the HUD to health, interactions, and ship aiming. Disabled strips away nearly all on-screen information. Players can also manually adjust each element. In combat, one might keep parry indicators but remove health bars later. In stealth, only the visibility meter remains. During naval battles, only cannon aiming is shown.

Visual Cues Replace Numbers in Combat

In battle, the HUD displays enemy health and defense. Defense is broken through parries and attacks, opening enemies to finishing moves. Different enemies have varying resilience. When an enemy's defense is shattered, their headgear falls off — a clear visual signal that replaces a numerical indicator. Experienced players can disable the interface entirely and rely on animations alone. The game remains an action-adventure title without levels or equipment, emphasizing skill over stats.

Developer Guidance and Future Reveals

Ubisoft's developers advise newcomers to start with the Default or Simple preset and gradually customize as they become comfortable. The studio has promised to share additional details about the interface and other features in May. This overhaul reflects a broader trend in game design toward player agency and minimalistic HUDs, allowing immersion without sacrificing necessary information.

The bottom line

• Assassin's Creed Shadows features a fully customizable HUD with four presets and manual toggles for every element.
• Combat includes visual cues like falling headgear to indicate broken defense, reducing reliance on numeric displays.
• The game is an action-adventure title without levels or equipment, focusing on player skill.
• Developers recommend starting with Default or Simple and adjusting settings over time.
• More interface details and features will be revealed in May.