The much-awaited remaster, "Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced," is here, with new and returning players thrust into the Caribbean Islands immediately, which could be rather overwhelming.
Without a clear priority list, it is easy to burn early hours on the wrong activities while Edward Kenway's ship, the Jackdaw, remains dangerously underpowered. Here is what to tackle first to get your pirate career moving in the right direction.
Synchronize Viewpoints to Unlock Fast Travel, Map Icons
According to Games.gg, Viewpoints appear as eagle icons on the map, and syncing them does two things at once. They unlock immediately as fast travel points, and they reveal a cluster of nearby icons pointing toward chests, animal locations, treasure maps, and collectibles in the surrounding area.
Havana, Cuba is the first major stop and contains nine viewpoints to sync.
Clearing as many as possible early means future story missions that send you back there will not waste time navigating blind. Building up the fast travel network as early as possible pays off throughout the rest of the game as the map expands significantly.
Collect Jackdaw Upgrade Materials Immediately
Jackdaw upgrades become available during the "This Tyro Captain" quest in Sequence 3, and every upgrade requires some combination of reales, cloth, wood, and metal. The fastest source for all of these materials is attacking other ships at sea.
The most efficient approach early on is to target ships in the least dangerous zones while the Jackdaw is still weak. Stock up on materials before Sequence 3 arrives so the upgrades can begin immediately once the system unlocks.
Floating barrels and crates found on the open sea are also worth grabbing during exploration, and Kenway's Fleet passively generates resources once it is set up.
Unlock Hidden Blades, Pistol to Expand Combat Toolkit
Both the hidden blades and the first pistol are locked behind a main story mission called "Mr. Walpole, I Presume," and there is no way to access them through side content. Following the main quest until that mission triggers is the only path forward.
Once unlocked, the combat toolkit expands significantly. Double assassinations, aerial assassinations, and ranged attacks all open up, making both stealth approaches and direct combat much more manageable than what is available in the early hours.
Ubisoft also shared a breakdown of "AC Black Flag Resynced's" combat system for users to study.
Craft All Three Pistol Holsters Before Seq.5 to Use Four Pistols
Crafting becomes available after completing "This Tyro Captain" in Sequence 3.
Edward Kenway starts with a single pistol slot, but three additional pistol holsters can be crafted from the start, bringing the total loadout up to four pistols. All three holsters can be crafted before Sequence 4 ends, making this one of the highest-value early investments available.
Having four pistols in rapid succession changes how combat flows, especially against groups of enemies.
Prioritize Upgrading the Great Inagua Harbourmaster
The Great Inagua hideout becomes accessible during "This Old Cove" in Sequence 4, and upgrading the Harbourmaster there should be an immediate priority once it unlocks. Three upgrade levels are available, and reaching the third tier unlocks every possible Jackdaw upgrade available in the game.
Without those tiers unlocked, the best ship upgrades remain inaccessible regardless of how many materials have been stockpiled. High-level and legendary ships become far more approachable once the Jackdaw is fully upgraded, and those encounters drop the best materials in the game.
Recruit Lucy, Padre to Your Team to Improve Naval Combat
Officer recruitment opens up after fully unlocking Great Inagua in Sequence 4, accessible through the Officer Quests section in the map menu. Two officers stand out as the most valuable to target immediately: Lucy Baldwin, the Shipwright, and the Padre, the Master-at-Arms.
Lucy's ability reduces damage to the Jackdaw when players brace just before taking a hit, which is one of the most practical defensive tools available in naval combat.
The Padre upgrades the Jackdaw's ram attack to deal more damage, opening up new boarding strategies and making aggressive approaches much more effective in fights.
Capture Forts to Unlock The Fleet Zones
Red forts on the map guard access to Kenway's Fleet zones, and capturing one opens that area for fleet deployment. Sending ships from Great Inagua into active fleet zones passively generates materials and relics while the player continues exploring the world.
The three easiest forts to start with are located in Gibara, Eleuthera, and Dry Tortuga. The most effective approach is to attack their defenses from the sea.
If the Jackdaw takes heavy damage, boarding nearby enemy ships mid-fight can restore health as long as the battle stays within the fort's radius. Leaving that radius will cause the fort to begin repairing itself, so staying engaged is important to finishing the capture successfully.
