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Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced: The best tips and tricks
Set sail for the Caribbean: these tips and tricks will get you off to a flying start in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. From the Jackdaw to your first fort.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced finally brings what is arguably the series’ most popular open-world instalment back to the screen. To ensure you’re fully prepared for Ubisoft’s pirate adventure right from the start, our beginner’s guide is here to help. With these tips, you’ll save yourself hours of trial and error and be ready to go from the very first minute.
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01
Story first: The path to Great Inagua
The treasure chests at Cape Bonavista flash temptingly on the map right from the start, and the side activities in Havana will also captivate you early on. Resist the temptation. Most of the game’s systems remain locked until you unlock Great Inagua. This happens after the 15th main mission, ‘This Old Cove’. You’ll get the Jackdaw itself after the 7th mission, ‘The Treasure Fleet’, but ship upgrades, Templar hunts and your own hideout only follow after that.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
© Ubisoft
If you explore the open world too early, you’ll find yourself grinding without the tools the game actually intended for you. As soon as your hideout on Great Inagua becomes available, it’s worth upgrading it straight away: it increases your passive income and unlocks additional upgrade options for the Jackdaw. One of the best investments in the early game.
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02
The Jackdaw: Your most important tool
Prepare for a battle on the open seas as naval combat returns
© Ubisoft
Naval combat, exploration and progression in Black Flag Resynced all revolve around one ship: the Jackdaw. For your first upgrades, focus on hull upgrades for more ship HP and broadside cannons for more damage. These two categories will reliably see you through most of the early and mid-game naval battles.
Some of the best upgrades are tied to blueprints found in shipwrecks, which you can only reach with the diving bell from Sequence 6 onwards. Most wrecks are guarded by sharks. However, a quick dive is often enough to get the blueprints without having to collect every collectable in the wreck.
03
Crew: Recruiting officers and crafting pistol holsters
Once Great Inagua is fully unlocked, you can recruit officers for your crew. To do this, open the map, bring up the mission menu using the Square button or X, and select the officer quests. You’ll encounter two officers quite early on in the game: Lucy Baldwin, as Shipwright, significantly reduces ship damage, whilst the Padre, as Master-at-Arms, boosts the Jackdaw’s ramming attack.
Resynced conjures up a picturesque backdrop on the screen
© Ubisoft
At the same time, it’s worth crafting more pistol holsters once ‘This Tyro Captain’ has been completed. A total of three additional holsters can be crafted, meaning Edward can ultimately carry up to four pistols at once. All three levels can be reached before the end of Sequence 4.
Upgrade
Material
Fundort
Effekt
Pistol holster I
2x Ozeolot Pelt
Abaco Island
An additional pistol space
Pistol Holster II
2x Rabbit fur
Nassau
An additional pistol space
Pistol Holster III
4x Bull Shark Skin
Garden Key, Dry Tortugas
Ein zusätzlicher An additional pistol space
04
Naval battles: Better to board than to sink
Naval battles are a key part of the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced gaming experience. Instead of sinking enemy ships, board them as soon as they are immobilised. Time pauses during a boarding: you can repair the Jackdaw in the midst of battle whilst other enemies remain immobilised, and you’ll also collect the entire cargo rather than watching it sink into the sea.
Before you attack at all, take a look through your spyglass. It shows the type of cargo, the ship’s level and the enemy’s strength. The most lucrative cargoes are those containing timber and metal, the key materials for Jackdaw upgrades. Brigs usually carry metal, whilst schooners carry a mixture of rum, sugar and timber. Mark a ship after scouting it to keep an eye on it during the pursuit.
05
Earning money quickly
Money is important, and not just for pirates. Your first major goal: 21,000 reales. With that, you can buy the Officer’s Rapier and the Spanish Officer’s Pistols from any general store. These are two weapons that Edward will carry for much of the game. Better options only become available once you’ve completed all the Navy and Assassin missions, which takes considerably longer. With this equipment, you’ll have a massive advantage very early on in the game.
Divers are now also exploring the Caribbean beneath the water.
© Ubisoft
It’s realistic to have the 21,000 reales by Sequence 3 if you complete Assassin missions and open chests on islands accessible early on, such as Nassau, Havana, Cape Bonavista and Salt Key Bank. The quickest way to fill your coffers is by selling surplus rum and sugar. Neither of these goods has any crafting value for Edward’s equipment, so selling them is always worthwhile. If you need animal hides for crafting upgrades and have enough money, buying them from the shop is often quicker than hunting.
06
Capturing forts and building your own fleet
Havana remains the largest city in Ubisoft’s pirate adventure.
© Ubisoft
From Sequence 5, Memory 1, you can capture naval forts. Captured forts automatically fire their mortars at enemy ships, turning difficult multi-ship battles into much more manageable situations. Lure persistent pursuers close to one of your own forts and let the artillery do the rest. It’s best to start with the low-difficulty forts around Great Inagua, Nassau and Salt Key Bank – you can spot the difficulty level straight away on the world map by the red dots on the fort icon. A captured location also permanently lifts the Fog of War in the surrounding area.
For Kenway’s fleet, you should specifically aim to capture frigates and man-o’-wars rather than smaller ships. They offer the greatest cargo capacity and the highest combat stats. Both are necessary to secure dangerous trade routes. Man-o'-wars appear as pursuers as soon as your notoriety reaches Level 3 or 4, whilst frigates usually travel in convoys.
Once a route has been secured, you can send faster schooners on less risky missions. A high notoriety level actually pays off: the hunters it attracts are carrying valuable cargo that’s worth more than any bribe to reduce your level.
07
Tips for combat and stealth
The combat in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced feels more modern
© Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced doesn’t reward frantic button-mashing, but rather a tactical approach to combat. A few habits make all the difference:
Mark enemies with Eagle Vision before entering a restricted area. Marked targets remain visible even through walls, allowing you to time your movements precisely. When choosing a sword, pay attention to the number of possible chain takedowns, as this allows you to immediately target the next enemy without leaving cover. Quick pistol shots take down armoured enemies in close combat without you having to switch to aim mode. And if you’re surrounded, smoke grenades and throwing darts are more reliable than trying to fight your way out. Against armoured enemies, a quick pistol shot – without even entering aim mode – held down with R2/RT and Triangle/Y on the controller, is effective.
In naval combat, it’s best to open every engagement with the mortar from long range. It deals solid damage before you even come within range of the enemy’s broadside.
08
You should change these settings straight away
There are a few menu options worth adjusting before you even get properly started. Enable ‘Area Loot’ in the Gameplay menu under ‘Playstyle’: this lets you collect nearby loot with a single button press, rather than picking up each item individually. A significant time-saver with no downsides.
Resynced offers the best parkour gameplay in the series.
© Ubisoft
‘Advanced Parkour’ gives you finer control over jumps and allows you to perform sideways and backwards evasive manoeuvres from any height. Handy for frantic escape situations, but also risky, as you could plunge to your doom – a bit of practice beforehand pays off.
If you’re prone to motion sickness, switch off Screen Shake and, above all, Ship Camera Sway. Both enhance immersion at sea, but can quickly become uncomfortable.
Given the difficulty level, it’s worth taking a look at the granular controls for combat, stealth, naval combat and activities. On Normal, ground combat often feels too easy thanks to the new parry mechanic. If you set the combat difficulty to Hard, enemies remain noticeably threatening without it becoming too gruelling.
09
Bonus tips for Black Flag Resynced
At each new location, synchronise the vantage points first. This reveals the map, unlocks fast travel and shows you collectables, enemy positions and other points of interest in the area. A shimmering audio cue also alerts you when a treasure chest is nearby – activate Eagle Vision at that moment to pinpoint its exact location.
Bear in mind that the Jackdaw fires in the direction your camera is facing. If you control the camera deliberately during combat, you’ll hit your targets more reliably than with auto-aim alone.
For longer distances, the Pathfinder Line comes in handy: once activated and the corresponding button held down, your ship automatically follows the route, allowing you to sail hands-free.
And listen to your crew: Adéwalé comments on ships and landmarks through the telescope. This includes warnings if a target is too powerful for the current Jackdaw.
