Guides
Naval combat & the Jackdaw
The sea is the soul of Black Flag. Here's how Resynced upgrades ship combat, customization and exploration.
Ship combat, reinforced
The Jackdaw returns with a deeper arsenal. New secondary weapons — shrapnel barrels and heavier 8-pounders — sit alongside the classic broadsides, swivel guns and mortar. Enemy ships are reworked with faction-specific equipment, so a Spanish man-o'-war fights very differently from a pirate hunter. Dynamic weather affects handling: a squall is both a danger and a weapon.
Officers & your crew
A standout addition: recruitable Officers you can assign to the Jackdaw, each granting special abilities that shape your playstyle at sea. Kit out your crew with attire, then make the ship your own with sails, a figurehead, hull trim, a custom wheel — and a ship pet, either a cat or a monkey, padding around the deck.
Below the waves
Underwater exploration is back and expanded. Drop anchor over a sunken wreck or ancient ruins, dive down through shafts of light, and recover treasure and secrets from the seabed. And thanks to removed loading screens when anchoring in major cities, the transition from open sea to bustling port is seamless.
Kenway's Fleet — passive income
The fleet metagame is reworked into a streamlined passive-income trading loop: dispatch captured ships on trade routes and collect resources over time, funding your upgrades while you're off adventuring on foot. It's less fiddly than the original and rewards building a powerful armada.
Naval FAQ
What's new about naval combat in Black Flag Resynced?
New secondary weapons like shrapnel barrels and 8-pounders, faction-specific enemy ships with unique equipment, and assignable Officers who grant special abilities to the Jackdaw.
Can you customize your ship?
Yes — extensive cosmetic and functional customization, including sails, figureheads, hull trim, wheels and ship pets (cats or monkeys). The Deluxe edition's Master Assassin Naval pack adds extra cosmetics.
Is there underwater exploration?
Yes, underwater exploration returns and is expanded, with sunken wrecks and ruins to dive for treasure and secrets.
How does Kenway's Fleet work now?
The metagame is reworked into a streamlined passive-income trading system — send ships on routes to earn resources while you adventure.