How to Make Money Fast — Reales Farming Guide

Reales are the lifeblood of your pirate career. You need them for Jackdaw upgrades, Edward's gear, hideout improvements, and bribes. Here are the most efficient ways to fill your coffers, ranked by payout and reliability.

Money-Making Methods at a Glance

Method	Payout	Effort	Best For
Boarding ships	High	Active	Early to late game
Captain's Lockbox	Very High	Active (boarding)	Mid to late game
Kenway's Fleet	Medium (passive)	Low (send & wait)	All game
Hideout upgrades	Passive income	One-time investment	Mid to late game
Fort captures	High	Active (combat)	Mid game
Harpooning	Medium-High	Active (mini-game)	Early to mid game
Fleet trading	Medium-High	Active (missions)	Mid game
Lowering wanted level	Saves money	Varied	All game

1. Boarding Ships — Your Primary Income

Boarding gives roughly double the loot compared to sinking. This is the single most important money rule in Resynced. When you sink a ship, a significant chunk of its cargo goes to the bottom. Board instead, and that cargo is yours.

Boarding Strategy

1. Use your spyglass to identify ships carrying the resources you need — it now shows cargo contents.
2. Disable the target with chain shot to the sails.
3. Close in and board. Choose your reward:
   • Send to Kenway's Fleet — adds the ship to your passive income fleet
   • Repair Jackdaw — if you took damage
   • Lower Notoriety — if your wanted level is high
   • Captain's Lockbox — on frigates and Man-o-Wars (see below)

2. Captain's Lockbox — The Jackpot

When boarding frigates and Man-o-Wars, a new option appears: Captain's Lockbox. This gives a significant reales bonus on top of standard loot. It's functionally a fifth boarding reward option exclusive to high-value targets.

Always take the Lockbox on large ships unless you specifically need repairs or want to lower notoriety. The reales payout outweighs the other options in most situations.

Tip: Pirate Hunters (the ships that chase you at high wanted levels) are often frigates and Man-o-Wars. Farming them for Lockboxes is dangerous but extremely profitable.

3. Kenway's Fleet — Passive Income

Captured ships sent to Kenway's Fleet can be dispatched on autonomous trading missions. They earn reales and trade goods while you're doing other things. No companion app required — it's all in-game now.

• More ships = more concurrent missions
• Larger ships (frigates, brigs) complete higher-value routes
• Check back periodically to collect earnings and reassign ships

This is your best source of "while I'm raiding" income. Build your fleet early and keep it busy.

4. Hideout Upgrades — Invest for Passive Returns

Two hideout upgrades directly boost your income:

Upgrade	Effect
Fisherman's Wharf	Passive reales income + double resources from skinning animals
Treasure Dealer	Access to exclusive high-value items + profit boost on fleet trading missions

Both require an upfront investment but pay for themselves over time. Prioritize Fisherman's Wharf first — the double-skinning perk also speeds up crafting material collection alongside the gold.

5. Fort Captures — Unlock Trade Routes

Capturing a fort doesn't just give you a lump sum of reales and resources. It also unlocks trade routes and reveals points of interest in the surrounding sea region. Trade routes mean more lucrative fleet missions, more merchant traffic, and better passive income.

Fort assaults use the new dynamic morale system — every action you take (cannon fire, mortar hits, destroying defenses) chips away at enemy morale. Focus the mortar on wall cannons first, then broadside the main structure.

6. Harpooning — High-Value Resources

Whales and sharks yield resources that sell for good reales at ports. The harpooning mini-game returns with adjustments based on your Activities difficulty setting.

On Forgiving difficulty: harpoon damage is higher and creatures deal less damage. On Hard: expect a real fight — but the resource payout doesn't change, so adjust difficulty if you're farming.

Tip: Shark hunting is faster than whaling. If you just need quick cash, harpoon sharks near ports and sell immediately.

7. Wanted Level — Don't Let It Drain Your Wallet

A high wanted level means Pirate Hunters — and if you have to bribe officers at ports, those bribes eat into your profits.

Managing Wanted Level Without Spending

• Board ships and choose "Lower Notoriety" — free wanted level reduction with every boarding
• Bribe officers at ports — costs reales, but sometimes necessary if you're too hot to sail
• Avoid unnecessary sinking — sinking raises wanted level faster than boarding

The best strategy: keep your wanted level at 1–2 stars through boarding reductions. Only bribe if Pirate Hunters are actively blocking your objectives.

Recommended Money Loop

1. Send fleet ships on missions (passive income ticking)
2. Sail a trade route, spyglass out, looking for frigates
3. Board everything worth boarding — grab Captain's Lockboxes
4. Harpoon any sharks or whales along the way
5. Dock at the nearest port, sell cargo, upgrade at Harbormaster
6. Check fleet earnings, reassign, repeat

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Related: Jackdaw Upgrade Guide | Ships & Naval Combat Guide | Beginner's Guide