AC Black Flag Resynced Ships & Naval Combat Guide

Everything about commanding the Jackdaw — arsenal, upgrades, three new officers, legendary ship encounters, and naval strategy.

What's New in Naval Combat

AC Black Flag Resynced naval combat — the Jackdaw engaging enemy ships with upgraded cannons

Naval gameplay has been reworked with new weapons, seamless open-world sailing, and the three new officer system.

No Loading Screens

On PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, there are no loading screens between naval and land gameplay. Sail directly into Havana, Nassau, or Kingston without interruption.

New Navigation Tools

Pathfinder: Pin a destination on your map to highlight your route across the water. Stay in control while keeping your heading.
Follow Sea (Autopilot): Let the Jackdaw steer herself to your destination. Perfect for enjoying sea shanties.

The Jackdaw's Full Arsenal

All weapons now have a secondary firing mode — a new ammo type you can swap to while aiming.

Weapon	Primary Mode	Secondary Mode (New!)
Broadside Cannons	Round shot / Heavy shot	Heated shot — rapid-fire volleys of fiery projectiles, high damage if all land
Mortar	Standard area bombardment	Deadman's Cohort — saturates an area with carcass bombs; manually aim each projectile
Bow Chasers	Chain shot (disable sails)	Double shot — powerful cannonball volley from the front
Stern Barrels	Drop barrels behind	Shrapnel barrels — shred enemy sails on explosion; great for escaping
Ram Dash	—	Surge forward for devastating collision damage; unlocked via the Padre (much earlier than original!)

Ram Dash — Now Available Early

In the original, Ram Dash unlocked only after defeating all 4 Legendary Ships — nearly useless for the story. In Resynced, recruit the Padre to unlock it much earlier.

Three New Officers

Each officer has a recruitment questline and a permanent ship perk:

Officer	Location	Perk
Lucy Baldwin	Salt Key Bank (imprisoned on a Man-o-War)	Perfect Brace — time your brace perfectly to almost completely nullify incoming damage
The Padre	Punta del Caracol (serving a village)	Joins boarding parties as a tough fighter; unlocks Ram Dash
Tobias "Deadman" Smith	Recruited during "A World Without Gold" questline	Double broadside volley — fire an extra salvo with minimal cooldown

Officers are automatically assigned once recruited. Their perks are permanent.

Ship Upgrades & Resources

Upgrades are now purchased from the local Harbormaster (found in ports throughout the Caribbean), not the Captain's Cabin.

Resources needed: Wood, Metal, Cloth, and Reales.

Best upgrade priority:

Hull Armor — survival first. You can't fight if you're sunk.
Broadside Cannons — your primary damage dealer.
Mortar — essential for forts and legendary ships.
Ram — more useful now with early unlock.
Round Shot Strength / Crew Capacity / Heavy Shot

Resource Farming Tips

Boarding ships gives double the loot of sinking them
Use your Spyglass to check what materials a ship carries before engaging
Captain's Lockbox (new boarding option on frigates and Man-o-Wars) gives extra Reales
After boarding, choose: Repair Jackdaw / Lower Wanted Level / Add to Fleet / Captain's Lockbox

The Wanted System

Sink too many ships and your Wanted Level rises. Pirate Hunters will chase you — more and stronger ships at higher levels.

Reduce Wanted Level:

Board enemy/merchant ships and choose "Lower Notoriety"
Bribe an Officer at any port

Fort Assaults

Each map region has one Fort. Combat uses a new dynamic morale system:

All your actions contribute to lowering enemy morale
Once morale drops enough, the commander stands up and fights (no surrender like the original)
Defeating a Fort unlocks new points of interest and fleet missions

Legendary Ships

Four endgame naval encounters. They respawn after a while, so you can fight them again.

Ship	Location	Notes
El Impoluto	Northwest	Aggressive ramming attacks
HMS Fearless & Royal Sovereign (The Twins)	Northeast	Fight both at once — don't get between them
La Dama Negra	Southwest	Heavy mortar fire
HMS Prince	Southeast	Fast and heavily armored

Rewards: Unique cosmetic skins for figurehead, hull, wheel, and sails.

Critical tip: Ubisoft says legendary ships have been "rebuilt to be stronger, tougher, and meaner" than the original. Even veterans should not underestimate them.

Kenway's Fleet

Captured ships can be sent on autonomous missions for passive income and trade goods. Now fully integrated in-game (no companion app required).

Dynamic Weather & Hazards

The Anvil engine's Atmos weather system brings realistic storms:

Two waterspout types — avoid or take damage
Lightning strikes deal AoE damage on water impact
Rogue waves can destroy objects and affect ship handling
Storms affect visibility and sailing conditions

Sea Shanties

All 35 original shanties return, plus 10 new shanties tied to quests and activities. New shanty wheel (D-pad down) lets you pick a specific song. Hold D-pad right to turn off spontaneous singing.