Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced changes several systems from the original game, from progression and ship upgrades to combat and equipment. This guide covers the most important things to do first, including which upgrades to prioritize, beginner weapon recommendations, and combat tips that will help you progress more efficiently without wasting resources.

 

If you want to continue your gameplay away from your PC, OSLink lets you remotely play your Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced session from your phone and play it remotely with customizable touch controls. It's a convenient way to complete missions, sail between islands, or gather resources without being tied to your desk.

Unlock Your Hideout as Early as Possible

One of the first things you should do in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is unlock your Hideout. It becomes available after the opening story missions and serves as your main progression hub for the rest of the game. The earlier you unlock it, the sooner you'll start benefiting from its upgrades.

 

Your Hideout gives you access to several important systems:

• Passive Income: Generate Protection Money over time, giving you a steady supply of release while you play.

• Building Upgrades: Improve shops and facilities to unlock new services, rewards, and useful bonuses.

• Ship Upgrades: Upgrade the Jackdaw to make naval battles and exploration much easier.

• Crafting: Use collected materials to increase your health, pistol capacity, and other equipment.

• Long-Term Progression: Most of your important upgrades are tied to the Hideout, making it one of the best early investments in the game.

Unlocking your Hideout early means you'll start earning money and progressing through these systems naturally while completing missions instead of having to grind for them later.

Upgrade the Harbormaster and Ship First

Your ship is your most important upgrade throughout Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. A stronger Jackdaw makes naval battles easier, lets you challenge tougher ships, and opens up more opportunities for exploration and rewards.

Start by upgrading the Harbormaster, as it unlocks higher ship upgrade tiers. After that, prioritize survivability before damage. Staying afloat longer gives you more room for mistakes and makes every naval encounter much more forgiving.

 

Focus on these upgrades first:

 

Once your Hull Strength and main weapons are upgraded, you'll notice a significant difference in both naval combat and exploration, making it much easier to take on stronger ships and complete tougher objectives.

Looking Ahead: Some of the Jackdaw's final upgrades require Ultimate Ship Plans, which are found in underwater shipwrecks and buried treasure discovered through Treasure Maps. Don't worry about collecting them early—focus on your core upgrades first, then return for the Ultimate Plans once you've unlocked more of the world. 

Upgrade Your Health and Pistol Capacity Early

Your personal upgrades come from crafting, which uses materials collected from hunting and exploration. Rather than upgrading everything immediately, focus on the upgrades that provide the biggest benefit early in the game.

Prioritize these upgrades first:

• Maximum Health: Increases your survivability during both land and naval encounters.

 

• Pistol Holster Capacity: Carry more loaded pistols, allowing you to fire multiple shots before reloading.

 

• Pistol Ammo Capacity: Increases your reserve ammunition for longer fights.

• Tool Capacity Upgrades: Useful later, but lower priority than health and pistols.

Choose Your Sword Type Based on Your Playstyle

Unlike most RPGs, the best sword in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced isn't determined by its damage stat alone. Each weapon type has a unique heavy attack that changes how it performs in combat, so choose the one that best matches your playstyle. Since all three weapon types remain viable throughout the game, it's better to pick the one whose moveset feels most natural to you.

Pistol Swords

Pistol Swords are the most versatile option. Their heavy attack fires a built-in pistol shot, letting you damage nearby enemies without consuming your regular pistol ammunition.

They're a great choice if you:

• Like mixing melee and ranged combat.

• Want extra damage without using pistol ammo.

• Prefer an adaptable weapon for most situations.

You can obtain one of the earliest Pistol Swords by restoring the General Store in your Hideout and upgrading it once.

 

Cutlasses

Cutlasses excel at fighting groups. Their heavy attack swings in a wide arc, making it easier to control crowds and hit multiple enemies at once.

 

Choose Cutlasses if you:

• Frequently fight large groups.

• Prefer aggressive combat.

• Want better crowd control.

Rapiers

Rapiers specialize in speed and precision. Their heavy attack closes the distance to enemies, making them excellent for duels and quickly engaging single targets.

Choose Rapiers if you:

• Prefer fast, precise attacks.

• Like focusing on one enemy at a time.

• Want to quickly close the gap during combat.

Activate Useful Animus Projects Early

The Animus Hub offers optional challenges that reward you with exclusive weapons, trinkets, cosmetics, and other useful items as you play. Since progress is tied to your gameplay, it's worth activating a Project as soon as the feature becomes available instead of waiting until later.

 

For new players, Eyes in the Dark is a great first Project because it rewards items you can use directly in Black Flag Resynced. Progress comes from completing Anomalies and collecting Data Fragments, so check your map whenever a new challenge appears and claim your rewards regularly.

Improve Your Combat Skills

Combat in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is more than simply attacking with your swords. Learning how Chain Kills, parries, enemy types, and combat tools work together will let you control fights instead of reacting to them. Once you understand the combat flow, even large groups of enemies become much easier to handle.

 

Understand Chain Kills

A Chain Kill begins after you perform a melee kill, whether by countering an enemy or defeating them with your weapons. While a Chain Kill is active, you can instantly eliminate Normal Guards, Agile Guards, and Gunners by attacking them, allowing you to clear groups of enemies very quickly.

 

Brutes and Captains are the exception. Attacking either of them during a Chain Kill will cause them to strike back, ending your sequence. Instead, focus on the weaker enemies first, then deal with the tougher ones once your Chain Kill ends or by using combat tools.

You also don't need to force a Chain Kill. If you're busy fighting a Brute or Captain, smaller enemies will usually attack you from another direction. Simply parry one of those attacks to naturally begin a Chain Kill, clear the weaker enemies, and then return your attention to the tougher targets.

Learn to Read Enemy Types

Not every enemy should be treated the same. Learning what each enemy type does—and how to deal with them efficiently—will make combat much easier.

• Normal Guards: Standard sword enemies and the easiest targets to chain together.

• Agile Guards: Fast dagger users that are easily defeated after a Guard Break or successful parry.

• Gunners: Musket users who attack from a distance and cannot be blocked or parried.

• Brutes: Heavy axe-wielding enemies that punish reckless attacks during Chain Kills.

• Captains: The toughest melee enemies, capable of countering Guard Break attempts unless they're vulnerable.

Normal Guards and Agile Guards 

These enemies should rarely be your main concern. They're perfect Chain Kill targets, so let them come to you instead of chasing them. If one attacks while you're dealing with a tougher enemy, parry it to start a Chain Kill and quickly clear the weaker enemies before returning to your original target.

 

Brutes and Captains

These enemies require a different approach. Attacking them during a Chain Kill will interrupt your momentum, so either wait for an opening or use tools like Smoke Bombs, Rope Darts, or Pistols to deal with them safely.

 

Gunners 

Once you're comfortable fighting Brutes and Captains, Gunners become the biggest threat. Their musket shots can't be blocked or parried, but the game briefly warns you before they fire.

 

If you can't reach a Gunner in time, pull a nearby enemy into the line of fire to absorb the shot while you continue fighting. When possible, eliminate Gunners early or use Berserk Darts to turn them against nearby enemies. Unlike Pistols, which don’t always guarantee a quick kill, Berserk Darts create chaos and reduce the pressure from both the Gunner and the enemies around them.

Master Parries

Parrying is one of the most important combat skills to learn. A successful parry not only protects you from damage but also creates opportunities to start and maintain Chain Kills.

 

As you become more comfortable with combat, stop focusing only on the enemy you're currently fighting. During every execution, look around and identify where the next attack is coming from. Just before the attack lands, hold the corresponding movement key (W, A, S, or D) toward the attacking enemy and press Parry (E / B / Circle). This changes Edward's focus, allowing him to counter the new attacker instead of the enemy he was previously targeting.

With enough practice, you'll naturally flow from one enemy to the next without chasing them around the battlefield. The only enemies that require special attention are Brutes and Captains, as they can't be safely dispatched during a normal Chain Kill without using a combat tool or waiting for another opening.

Use Combat Tools Wisely 

Combat tools are most effective when used against enemies that disrupt your normal combat flow.

Smoke Bombs are one of the best ways to deal with Brutes and Captains. Enemies caught in the smoke lose awareness of Edward, allowing you to quickly eliminate weaker enemies with Hidden Blades or safely approach Brutes and Captains. You can Attack them from behind or walk up and use Guard Break to throw them off balance before finishing them off. Since Smoke Bombs interrupt the normal Chain Kill flow, it's usually better to rely on them when you want to quickly remove dangerous enemies rather than build a Chain Kill.

 

Rope Darts are useful for more than pulling enemies from a distance. While an enemy is being pulled toward you, you can switch to Hidden Blades before they reach you to perform a Hidden Blade execution instead of using your swords. Learning these small mechanics gives you more options during combat.

Pistols are perfect for eliminating enemies that would otherwise interrupt your momentum. A quick shot is often faster and safer than engaging a dangerous enemy in melee.

Explore Islands and Search Underwater Areas

Exploration isn't just a good way to earn extra money—it's an important part of your progression in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. Many valuable rewards, including crafting materials, Treasure Maps, and Ultimate Ship Plans for the Jackdaw, are hidden away outside the main story. Taking a few extra minutes to explore can save you hours of grinding later.

Whenever you discover a new island, take time to look beyond the main objective.

• Search the coastline: Many islands hide underwater shipwrecks containing valuable loot and Ultimate Ship Plans for your ship's final upgrades.

• Use Eagle Vision: Scan the area to spot collectibles, treasure, and other points of interest you might otherwise miss.

• Open every chest: Chests often contain reales, crafting materials, equipment, and Treasure Maps.

• Follow Treasure Maps: Buried treasure can reward you with Ultimate Ship Plans and other valuable upgrades that can't be obtained through normal gameplay.

• Collect keys and special collectibles: Some rewards remain locked until you find the required key, so it's worth picking them up whenever you see them.

Exploration becomes even more rewarding as you progress through the game. If you discover an area you can't fully access yet, make a note of it and return later—you'll often find some of the Jackdaw's strongest upgrades waiting for you.

Returning from the Original? Here's What Changed

If you're coming from the original Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, here's a quick overview of the biggest gameplay changes introduced in Black Flag Resynced.

• Dive Anywhere: Once diving is unlocked, Edward can dive almost anywhere in the Caribbean instead of only at marked Diving Bell locations. Underwater exploration is much more rewarding, although dedicated Diving Bell sites still contain deeper areas and exclusive rewards.

• Ultimate Ship Plans: The original Elite Ship Upgrades have been replaced with Ultimate Ship Plans. These are mainly found in underwater shipwrecks and buried treasure discovered through Treasure Maps, making exploration a key part of fully upgrading the Jackdaw.

• Legendary Ships: Legendary Ships no longer unlock gameplay upgrades such as the Ram Dash. They now reward cosmetics and completion bonuses, so don't rush these battles expecting powerful ship improvements.

• Recruitable Officers: You can recruit Officers through side quests, each providing unique abilities and bonuses for the Jackdaw. They're well worth unlocking as you progress through the story.

• Observe Mode: Eagle Vision has been expanded with Observe Mode, making it much easier to locate enemies, objectives, treasures, and collectibles while exploring.

• Modern Stealth: Edward can now crouch freely instead of relying entirely on bushes and environmental cover, giving you much more control during stealth sections.

• More Forgiving Tailing Missions: Many tailing missions have been reworked so being detected doesn't always result in an immediate desynchronization, making stealth objectives less frustrating than in the original game.

Conclusion

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced rewards players who understand its systems rather than simply rushing through the story. Prioritize your Hideout and ship upgrades, learn how combat mechanics like Chain Kills and parries work, and take time to explore—you'll progress faster and get much more out of your adventure. If you want to continue your pirate journey away from your PC, OSLink lets you stream Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced directly to your phone, so you can keep sailing, exploring, and completing missions wherever you are.