Naval Combat Tips for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced

We will tell you what upgrades to purchase first, how to use your surroundings to your advantage and share a number of valuable tips to help you increase your loot and spoils from fighting other ships in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced.

We shared a few tips and tricks in our Beginner’s Guide to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, but here we will take a much deeper and thorough look at how naval combat works and how to take full advantage of all mechanics.

Prioritize Jackdaw upgrades

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced has many things that require you to earn (and spend) money. With weapons, outfits, hideout, and ship upgrades being the most expensive ones.

It can be difficult to decide what to upgrade first and what to leave for later. Especially because it’s difficult to earn a large amount of Reales in the early game.

What to upgrade first

Without a doubt, upgrading the ship as fast as possible is the best thing to do. The reason is that having a strong ship is also a great way to earn money faster. Boarding ships to take their cargo and selling it later earns you a considerable amount of money.

To do this, you need a ship with proper upgrades. If you don’t do this, even Schooners might pose a threat. At least in the early game. Here is a quick list of what you should update first:

• Round and Heated Shot: Your main source of damage
• Broadside Cannons: Increases the number of cannons
• Armored Hull: This is what allows the ship to sustain damage

The Jackdaw has other weapons, but none of them come close to being as important as the Round and Heated Shot. Upgrade whatever fits your playstyle.

Do I need to get every upgrade to complete the game?

I can confidently say that you can upgrade up to the second-to-last tier and still be able to complete every main and side quest in the game. Even without recruiting the three new officers and getting their respective ship abilities.

This is how I experienced my first playthrough, and while it can be more challenging at times, it’s nowhere close to being impossible.

Legendary Ships are the only activity that requires you to get the best upgrades for the Jackdaw. These ships are in their own league and can’t be compared to anything else you face while doing main or side quests.

Make enemies fight each other

There will be times when you find a very tempting prize, like the head of a Royal Convoy. But attacking a convoy puts you at a massive disadvantage due to the enemy’s powerful ships and numbers.

In the worst scenario, you have no money or patience to go back, upgrade your ship and return to the same spot. In these cases, the only way out of a sticky situation is to play smart.

Lure English and Spanish fleets into each other. They’ll attack each other on sight, but only attack you if you shoot first. Position yourself at a safe distance and use the mortar to make them head your way, then go straight into the other fleet’s position.

There will be other times where you find that they are already in a massive battle with only Man O War’s and Frigates. When this happens, all you have to do is stay away from the damage, join in when your target is around 25% health, and give it all you’ve got so you can board and grab the Captain’s lockbox.

Listen to the bell

Aside from your own eyes, the bell on the Jackdaw is the only way the game lets you know about incoming danger. This comes in handy when you’re focused on an enemy ship or simply contemplating the view. Water spouts, thunder strikes, or rogue waves can appear anytime when there’s bad weather.

If you get hit, you will receive a ton of damage. This is a death sentence when the Jackdaw has been recently damaged.

This is particularly dangerous when you are in the middle of an epic fight. It’s already hard to track multiple enemies at once; add the environmental element, and it’s a recipe for disaster. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing; if the bell sounds, look around immediately to see what’s happening. It can be a lifesaver.

Board ships mid-fight

As you enter the Hard difficulty zones, you’ll encounter fleets made of stronger ships. The risks of attacking these convoys are as high as the rewards, though it’s easier said than done.

A great way to improve your chances of success is by boarding ships in the middle of the battle. The best way to explain this is with an example.

Let’s say you attack a fleet made of a Man O’ War, two Frigates, and a Brig. You incapacitate both Frigates and the Brig, but your Jackdaw is in no shape to face the almighty Man O’ War.

What you do next is board the Brig and Frigates and choose the Repair option to be at full strength again. Doing it in this order allows you not only to have better chances against the strongest foe but also to acquire the best reward.

The best thing is that when pressing “Board”, every source of damage to your ship gets nullified. Mortar shots that are about to hit no longer cause damage, ships coming at you stop on the spot, and even waterspouts dissipate.

Easy way to take Forts

Forts can be intimidating at first. Their long range and considerable firepower make them a tough challenge. If they’re guarded by other ships, it’s even harder. If this is the case, I recommend that you take out the ships before engaging the fort.

You can tell the fort’s firing range thanks to the buoys that surround the area. Shoot at the enemy ships outside of the buoys; this will make them go to your position.

A very effective way to deal with forts is to do as much damage as possible with your mortars first. This is the only way for you to shoot from a safe distance while also having decent maneuverability to avoid the fort’s shots.

It’s worth mentioning that forts can have between 4 and 9 defenses each. Since mortar shots aren’t unlimited, each one needs to be as effective as possible.

The last thing to do is get closer and eliminate what’s remaining of the defenses with your medium-range weapons.

React to the enemy attacks

The brace mechanic is the equivalent of a parry. If timed well, you can block a ton of damage. This is vital if you want to take on the toughest ships in the game. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that it took me a few hours to realize the right moment to brace for the enemies’ attacks.

In reality, it’s something very simple. All you have to do is pay attention to the enemy cannons; they light up for a second right before shooting.

Obviously, it becomes harder to pay attention to multiple things when the battle looks like something straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean. Just keep doing it, and eventually, you’ll do it automatically.

I know that it sounds extremely simple, but this skill is what will define whether you succeed or not against the mighty Legendary Ships.

Recruit all three officers

There are three officers you can recruit. Each one provides a perk for naval combat.

• Padre: The Ram Dash deals massive collision damage. In the original game, this was unlocked only after defeating all the Legendary Ships. Padre will also join the boarding party.
• Lucy Baldwin: Perfect Brace is basically a Parry ability for the Jackdaw. Time it correctly and you’ll nullify incoming damage.
• Tobias “Deadman” Smith: The mortar receives a secondary firing option that fires many projectiles into a single area. You’ll be able to manually control where each projectile lands. You’ll also be able to fire an additional volley from your broadside cannons.

Forget about cutting the flag

Cutting a ship’s flag is one of the two ways to reduce morale and capture the ship. It’s also a complete waste of time and effort. The benefit of doing so is minimal, and it takes a considerable amount of time to get all the way up there.

There’s also the risk of getting shot by the gunners and falling to your death. It’s simply not worth it. If you enjoy doing it, then by all means go ahead. In terms of efficiency, it’s better just to kill enough crew members.

Make things explode

Swivel Guns can be used during boarding. While using them on individual enemies is quite fun, the best way to take advantage of their explosive shot is by aiming at the gunpowder barrels. This causes an explosion that kills everyone nearby.

When I say everyone, it also includes your crew. Make sure to do it before your crew starts boarding!

This tactic is efficient against all ships but Man O’ Wars. The reason is simple, Man O’ Wars are many meters above the Swivel Gun, it’s physically impossible to aim that high.

Scuttle a ship

It’s possible for you to board a ship without firing a single Jackdaw’s weapon. All you have to do is swim to said ship, climb up, and eliminate all the crew by yourself. This is a funny and different way to get rid of enemy ships.

However, the only choice you receive after doing so is to scuttle the ship. No repair, sending to fleet, or getting the captain’s lockbox. Don’t worry, you still get all the cargo. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work on legendary ships.