Windrose Transmog: Armor Dyeing, Mannequins and Ship Looks in Ashlands
- ๐ What Transmog Means in Windrose
- ๐งฉ The Five Cosmetic Armor Slots in Windrose Transmog
- ๐ซ What Windrose Transmog Doesn't Cover
- ๐จ The Windrose Dyeing Station: Three Color Channels per Armor Piece
- ๐งโโ๏ธ Mannequins for Your Windrose Base
- โต The Same Idea for Ships: Looks Without Faction Lock
- ๐ Our Comparison: How Much Customization Ashlands Adds
- ๐ก How to Prepare for Windrose Transmog Now
- โ Windrose Transmog FAQ
Windrose Transmog arrives with the Ashlands update: five cosmetic armor slots separate how your character looks from the stats of the armor you actually wear. Kraken Express is also adding a Dyeing Station with three color channels and mannequins for your base. None of it is in the current build 0.10.0.9 yet, and the developer hasn't shared any material costs.
This guide sums up the official devblog "Voyage to Ashlands: Transmog, Armor Dyeing & Mannequins" from October 29, 2026 and puts it next to the two posts on ship customization. All terms come from the English Steam announcements. For everything else Ashlands brings, see our Windrose Ashlands update overview.
๐ What Transmog Means in Windrose
Kraken Express describes transmogrification, or transmog for short, as a system that changes your character's appearance without touching the stats of your gear. You wear one armor set for its protection and bonuses while showing off the look of another. The developer's own example: keep the protection you worked hard for and wear the look of something you found earlier.
To make that work, the character equipment panel gets five cosmetic armor slots. You switch between your regular equipment and the cosmetic slots right in the inventory. Armor in the regular slot still provides all its stats, while armor in the cosmetic slot decides what people see. You can mix individual pieces freely, so Windrose Transmog doesn't require a full set.
๐งฉ The Five Cosmetic Armor Slots in Windrose Transmog
| Slot | What it shows | If the slot stays empty |
|---|---|---|
| Head | The look of the cosmetic headgear | Your equipped armor |
| Torso | The look of the cosmetic top | Your equipped armor |
| Arms | The look of the cosmetic arm pieces | Your equipped armor |
| Legs | The look of the cosmetic leg pieces | Your equipped armor |
| Feet | The look of the cosmetic footwear | Your equipped armor |
The rule for empty slots is handy. Leave a cosmetic slot empty and the game simply shows the armor you actually have equipped in that spot. You don't have to fill all five. If you only want to keep the hat from an old set, put it in the head slot and leave the rest on your real gear.
In co-op there's one more point. According to the devblog, other players see your transmog outfit too, so the change isn't just on your screen. The Steam page lists co-op for up to eight players, which means a crew with a matching look is possible.
๐ซ What Windrose Transmog Doesn't Cover
Kraken Express draws a clear line: Windrose Transmog only applies to armor. Weapons and accessories, including rings, necklaces and backpacks, aren't affected. Your musket or saber keeps the look it had when it came off the workbench.
| Item | Transmog | Dyeing | Mannequin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armor pieces (head to feet) | Yes | Yes, if the piece has dyeable areas | Yes |
| Weapons | No | Not announced | Not announced |
| Rings, necklaces | No | Not announced | Not announced |
| Backpacks | No | Not announced | Not announced |
"Not announced" only means the devblog doesn't say anything about it. Whether weapons can be dyed later is an open question.
๐จ The Windrose Dyeing Station: Three Color Channels per Armor Piece
To recolor armor, you place the new Dyeing Station through the building menu, just like other structures in your base. According to the devblog, every dyeable armor piece has three color channels:
- Main Color: the primary color of the armor piece.
- Secondary Color: a second color for other parts of the design.
- Detail Color: smaller accents and trims.
You can dye both your regular equipment and the pieces in your cosmetic slots. The dyeing interface lets you rotate your character and check the colors from different angles before you commit. Materials are only used up once you confirm. Which materials, Kraken Express hasn't said yet: the exact crafting requirements are still being worked on.
This matters if you trade and store a lot. Your chosen colors are saved directly to the armor piece. They stay when you move the piece to another chest, drop it or put it on a mannequin. The developer also names a limitation right away. Not every armor piece currently supports recoloring, since some have no dyeable areas.
๐งโโ๏ธ Mannequins for Your Windrose Base
The third addition is mannequins. You put armor sets you aren't wearing on them to decorate your home, organize a collection or show off loot. Both male and female mannequins will be available. Dyed armor keeps its colors on a mannequin.
The devblog doesn't say what a mannequin costs, how many pieces it holds or whether it has to sit within fire range like other structures. How bases with fire and roof work today is covered in our Windrose beginner guide.
โต The Same Idea for Ships: Looks Without Faction Lock
The transmog post is part of a devblog series in which Kraken Express reworks customization for Ashlands. Before it came two parts on ship customization and one on the interface. On October 8, 2026 the studio announced it will remove the faction-specific ship variants that currently exist for the Brethren of the Coast and Blackbeard's Crew. Instead you pick a ship class, such as the Ketch, and customize it yourself. According to Kraken Express, any resources from dismantled ships will be fully refunded.
Part 2 from October 15, 2026 covers the exterior. The figurehead, hull decor, stern and helm become individually selectable slots instead of fixed faction combinations. Sails and flags stay independent as before, and these elements get color schemes. A dedicated customization camera is meant to show the ship in-game before you commit. What the current ship classes cost is in our Windrose ship building guide.
Below deck, designated building spots are planned, starting with a workbench and a cooking fire. The developer rules out free building on the ship for performance reasons. Some modules are supposed to affect the ship itself, for example more cargo space or better readiness for a fight. There are no numbers yet.
๐ Our Comparison: How Much Customization Ashlands Adds
From the three devblogs we counted how many individually selectable spots the announcements add for character and ship. For armor we multiply five cosmetic slots by three color channels. That's an upper limit, because not every piece is fully dyeable.
| Area | Selectable elements | Color | Math |
|---|---|---|---|
| Character looks | 5 cosmetic armor slots | 3 channels per piece | 5 ร 3 = up to 15 color fields per outfit |
| Character stats | 5 regular armor slots | Also dyeable | Up to 15 more color fields, visible when cosmetic slots are empty |
| Ship exterior | Figurehead, hull decor, stern, helm, sails, flags | Color schemes | 6 elements, 4 of them newly selectable on their own |
| Ship interior | Designated building spots below deck | Not stated | Number of spots not given |
The practical takeaway: after Ashlands your character's look comes down to up to 15 color choices plus the pieces you pick, and your ship's look to six elements. Before, parts of the ship's look were tied to your faction and your armor's look to the set you wear. When all of this lands isn't fixed. Kraken Express and publisher Pocketpair have announced Windrose Ashlands for this winter.
๐ก How to Prepare for Windrose Transmog Now
- Don't scrap old armor. An early set with a nice look can end up in a cosmetic slot after Ashlands, even if its stats are long outdated.
- Plan space in your base. The Dyeing Station and mannequins come through the building menu, and nobody knows their size yet.
- Don't trust material lists. Kraken Express hasn't named any dyeing costs. Dye recipes you find online before the update don't come from the developer.
- Weapons stay as they are. Don't plan weapon looks around transmog, the system only covers armor.
โ Windrose Transmog FAQ
When is transmog coming to Windrose?
With the Ashlands update, which Kraken Express has announced for this winter. There's no exact date. Windrose Transmog isn't in the current build 0.10.0.9 yet.
Do I lose armor stats with Windrose Transmog?
No. According to the devblog, armor in the regular slot keeps all its stats and bonuses. The cosmetic slot only changes the look.
Can I change weapons with transmog?
No. Transmog only applies to armor. Weapons and accessories such as rings, necklaces and backpacks are excluded.
How much does dyeing armor cost?
That's still open. Kraken Express only says that materials are used up when you confirm and that the exact crafting requirements are still being worked on.
Can other players see my transmog outfit?
Yes. The devblog states that other players will see your transmog outfit too.
Do colors stay when I hand armor to someone else?
Yes. Colors are saved to the armor piece and stay when you move it between inventories, drop it or put it on a mannequin.
Checked against the official Steam announcements as of October 2026 (October 30, 2026), game version 0.10.0.9 in Early Access, Ashlands not yet released. Sources: Kraken Express's English Steam posts "Voyage to Ashlands: Transmog, Armor Dyeing & Mannequins" (October 29, 2026), "Voyage to Ashlands: Ship Customization, pt.1" (October 8, 2026) and "Voyage to Ashlands: Ship Customization, pt.2" (October 15, 2026), plus the Windrose Steam store page.
According to the developer, every system shown is still a work in progress and may change before release. The color field math is our own. There is no official Windrose wiki.
