Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced: Best ship upgrades
Summary
Naval combat is at the forefront of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, and there are a great many upgrades for Edward Kenway's prize vessel, the Jackdaw. Some of these improve its durability, while others amplify its firepower. And if you're a devil-may-care sort of pirate who just wants to smash into rival ships, you can do that too!
Choosing between all of the ship upgrades can be tricky, especially if this is your first time exploring the Caribbean and you never experienced Edward's journey back in 2013. In this guide, we'll outline the five best ship upgrades in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, giving you a sense of what to focus on first when it comes time to turn the Jackdaw from a ramshackle boat into a true terror of the sea.
Naval combat is at the forefront of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, and there are a great many upgrades for Edward Kenway's prize vessel, the Jackdaw. Some of these improve its durability, while others amplify its firepower. And if you're a devil-may-care sort of pirate who just wants to smash into rival ships, you can do that too!
Choosing between all of the ship upgrades can be tricky, especially if this is your first time exploring the Caribbean and you never experienced Edward's journey back in 2013. In this guide, we'll outline the five best ship upgrades in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, giving you a sense of what to focus on first when it comes time to turn the Jackdaw from a ramshackle boat into a true terror of the sea.
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Best Jackdaw upgrades
The best ship upgrades in Black Flag Resynced are for the Armored Hull, Mortar, Round and Heated Shot, Bow Chasers, and Ram.
These upgrades strike the best balance between increasing the Jackdaw's defensive capabilties, improving its various weapons, and giving it a better chance to chase down and board enemy vessels. And in the case of the Ram upgrades, these add a touch of unpredictable aggression on the high seas!
I've listed these upgrades in greater detail below, along with the costs of their various upgrade tiers. Keep in mind that in order to unlock the upper tiers, you'll also need to unlock your personal Harbormaster and improve his level - this can be done by liberating Great Inagua island during the main campaign, which occurs during the Sequence 3 mission "A Single Madman." After this mission, you'll be in control of Great Inagua Hideout, after which you can begin purchasing hideout upgrades, including improvements to the Harbormaster's level.
Armored Hull
| Upgrade Name | Price |
|---|---|
| Armored Hull I | Unlocked by default |
| Armored Hull II | 1,000 Reales |
| Armored Hull III | 4,000 Reales, 100 Metal, 200 Wood, Harbormaster I |
| Armored Hull IV | 15,000 Reales, 200 Metal, 500 Wood, Harbormaster II |
| Armored Hull V | 30,000 Reales, 400 Metal, 750 Wood, Hull Armor Ultimate Plan, Harbormaster III |
As part of the tutorial on upgrading the Jackdaw, you'll purchase the initial Armored Hull upgrade for your ship early on. But the extended upgrades, while devilishly expensive, are worth it. A doubly-armoured hull means that the Jackdaw can survive longer in combat, with tiers II to IV increasing the Jackdaw's damage resistance from 800 to 1,800. If you need to focus on weaponry first, refer to the other options below, but don't forget that improving your offensive power only goes so far in naval warfare.
A healthy hull means a healthy ship, which means more survivability on the sea! | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Ubisoft
To get the last Armored Hull upgrade tier, you'll also need the Hull Armor Ultimate Plan, which can be found in a chest in the San Ignacio Shipwreck at the approximate coordinates 352, 744. Use our list of all Viewpoints in Black Flag Resynced to get a sense of the area, and you'll also need the Diving Bell to explore these depths.
Mortar
| Upgrade Name | Price |
|---|---|
| Mortar I | 800 Reales |
| Mortar II | 3,500 Reales, 200 Metal, Harbormaster I |
| Mortar III | 8,000 Reales, 300 Metal, Harbormaster II |
| Mortar IV | 25,000 Reales, 650 Metal, Mortar Ultimate Plan, Harbormaster III |
Prioritise buying Mortars and Mortar Storage as soon as you can. These are bombs that you can drop on a ship from a great distance, and they can make a major difference in a hectic naval firefight. Controlling Mortars at first is tricky - the targeting reticule takes some time to grow accustomed to, but if you want explosive weaponry, you can't go wrong here.
This ship might have the guns, but I have the bombs. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Ubisoft
To acquire the Mortar Ultimate Plan, you'll have to dive down to a treasure chest hidden in the Antocha Wreck at the approximate coordinates 596, 636.
While you're upgrading Mortar, I also recommend investing in Mortar Storage, which also has three tiers that cost 800 Reales to start with, then 2,000 Reales, and finally 5,000 Reales. The Mortar Storage Ultimate Plan, needed for the third tier upgrade, can be found on land in Matanzas near the coordinates 312, 617.
Round and Heated Shot
| Upgrade Name | Price |
|---|---|
| Round and Heated Shot I | Unlocked by default |
| Round and Heated Shot II | 900 Reales, Harbormaster I |
| Round and Heated Shot III | 4,000 Reales, Harbormaster II |
| Round and Heated Shot IV | 12,000 Reales, Harbormaster III |
| Round and Heated Shot V | 35,000 Reales, Round Shot Strength Ultimate Plan, Harbormaster III |
Broadside weapons are the bread and butter of the Jackdaw, and you'll likely rely on Round and Heated Shot more than anything else when it comes time to fire away. (Others swear by the Heavy Shot, which is also a decent choice, but when I want heavier damage I personally prefer to just invest in Mortar, described above.) Once you've upgraded your damage with these upgrades, you can also add additional Broadside weapons to your ship to fire off more Round and Heated Shot.
Blast those miscreants with a nice serving of Round and Heated Shot from your upgraded Broadside weapons. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Ubisoft
To find the Round Shot Strength Ultimate Plan, search the Kabah Ruins Shipwreck for a hidden chest, at the approximate coordinates 735, 120.
Bow Chasers
| Upgrade Name | Price |
|---|---|
| Bow Chasers I | Unlocked by default |
| Bow Chasers II | 2,500 Reales, Harbormaster II |
| Bow Chasers III | 6,000 Reales, Harbormaster III |
Bow Chasers are chain-linked shots that come out of the cannons at the bow of your vessel, and they're part of the Jackdaw's selection of Front Weapons. While they won't smash an enemy ship to shreds in the same way as regular cannon shot, these are great for incapacitating an enemy vessel's sails. Frankly, half of the challenge of naval combat in Black Flag Resynced is chasing a vessel you want to board, and a good Front Weapon upgrade will make this significantly easier!
Destroy a foe's sails with the chain-linked cannon balls fired from the Bow Chasers, then get in close for the kill. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Ubisoft
Happily, you can upgrade Bow Chasers to the third damage tier without needing to find an Ultimate Plan in a shipwreck, so this one's relatively easier than the others listed here.
Ram
| Upgrade Name | Price |
|---|---|
| Ram (base tier) | 500 Reales, 75 Wood, Harbormaster I |
| Ram I | 2,000 Reales, 75 Wood, Harbormaster I |
| Ram II | 5,000 Reales, 150 Metal, 250 Wood, Harbormaster II |
| Ram III | 15,000 Reales, 200 Metal, 600 Wood, Ram Ultimate Plan, Harbormaster III |
It's always a risky move, but I love ramming other ships. (Chalk it up to my reckless side and the fact that in racing games I love crashing into things just to see what happens.) At any rate, if you're already trying to close the distance between yourself and another vessel, you might as well invest in the ability to smash into them, right? With continuous upgrades you can amplify the damage to extreme amounts, and even though Ram has a long cooldown, if you time it right it can be the coup de grâce to a successful attack and all you need for your crew to board.
It's not easy or cheap to get all the Ram upgrades, but boy is it satisfying to see another ship turn to splinters as you collide with it. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Ubisoft
If you're searching for the Ram Ultimate Plan, check southwest of Chinchorro at the La Concepcion Wreck. The rough coordinates are 150, 270.
That wraps up our look at the best ship upgrades for the Jackdaw in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. For more Black Flag info, check out our guide to all the differences between Resynced and the original game, as well as our guides on how to get the Rope Dart and the Diving Bell. We've also got a peek at the best Black Flag Resynced PC settings to ensure that your remastered travels through the Caribbean look as good as possible.