AC Black Flag Resynced Ships — Jackdaw Upgrades & Naval Combat Guide

Everything about commanding the Jackdaw — full arsenal, upgrade costs, all three Officer perks, legendary ship encounters, and pro naval combat strategies.

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 secondary firing modes, seamless open-world sailing, and the new Officer System (All Officer Locations Guide).

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 & Secondary Firing Modes

All weapons now have a secondary firing mode — a powerful alternate ammunition type you can swap to while aiming.

Weapon	Primary Mode	Secondary Mode (New!)	How to Unlock
Broadside Cannons	Round shot / Heavy shot	Heated shot — rapid-fire volleys of fiery projectiles, high poise damage	Upgrade Cannons via Harbourmaster
Mortar	Standard area bombardment (500m)	Deadman's Cohort — saturates an area with carcass bombs; manually aim each projectile	Complete Inagua Manor upgrades
Bow Chasers	Chain shot (disable sails)	Double shot — powerful 16-cannonball volley from the front	Capture Dry Tortuga Fort (First Hour Guide)
Stern Barrels	Drop barrels behind	Shrapnel barrels — shred enemy sails on explosion; great for escaping	Harbourmaster Tier III
Ram Dash	Normal collision	Ram Dash Charge — surge forward for crushing kinetic collision damage	Recruit The Padre (Officer Guide)

Ram Dash — Now Available Early

In the original game, Ram Dash unlocked only after defeating all 4 Legendary Ships. In Resynced, recruit the Padre during Sequence 4 to unlock it immediately.

Three New Officers

Each officer has a dedicated recruitment questline and permanent ship perks:

Officer	Role	Location	Permanent Perk
Lucy Baldwin	Master Shipwright	Kingston / Abaco	Perfect Brace — time your brace within 0.5s to completely nullify incoming damage
The Padre	Man-at-Arms	Great Inagua	Joins boarding parties as a heavy brawler; unlocks Ram Dash
Tobias Church	Master Gunsmith	Grand Cayman	Double broadside volley — fires bonus salvos & increases Swivel Gun capacity

For full recruitment steps, coordinates, and the All Hands on Deck trophy walkthrough, read our Complete Officer Locations Guide.

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

Pro Naval Tactics (04AM Guide, Jul 2026)

Pre-Engagement

Always spyglass first — reveals enemy ship cargo type, carried ammo, and threat level. Target ships carrying heavy shot/mortar ammo first to make them sink faster.
Restock at Harbourmaster every visit to Great Inagua — ammo, explosive barrels, heavy shot, mortar. Running out mid-battle is a death sentence.

Combat Tactics

Fire barrels + mortar combo: Lay barrels in the enemy's path → hit them with a mortar to force them to sail into the trap. Works against Man-o-Wars from 500m with zero risk.
Stay mobile during broadsides — turning to fire exposes you to rams and mortar barrages. Time your brace perfectly.
Ram to finish weakened ships instead of wasting broadside ammo.

Boarding Efficiency (Minimal Crew Loss)

Stand on the Jackdaw's rail and headshot heavy hitters with your pistol before jumping aboard — 4 quick kills before you even board.
Then switch to swivel gun, detonate all explosive barrels on the enemy deck. Often resolves combat without boarding.
Kick enemies against the ship's sides — instantly breaks stance for execution.
Big brutes? Pistol shot breaks their guard, then execute.

Post-Battle

Captain's Logbook (new option after boarding big ships): extra reales on top of boarding bonus. Only pick this if your hull is healthy — otherwise choose Repair.
Don't let ships collide with your prize — a stray ram from another ship sinks your boarded vessel instantly.

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.