Maxing the Jackdaw: Naval Exploits and Ultimate Upgrades in Black Flag Resynced
The launch of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced has been historic. Selling over two million copies on its first day of release, Ubisoft Singapore’s remake has proven that the appetite for golden age piracy, built from the ground up on the latest Anvil engine, remains incredibly high. While the graphics have been completely overhauled and the world seamlessly stitched together, the core progression loop of the game remains tied to your vessel: the Jackdaw. Navigating the Caribbean, raiding convoys, and taking down massive Spanish and British forts is essential.
However, upgrading the Jackdaw to its ultimate form requires a massive amount of gold, resources, and finding rare blueprints scattered across the sea. For players looking to fast-track their progression, there are several key strategies to exploit, starting with a returning favorite from the 2013 original: plundering high-level ships without firing a single cannon shot.
The Swimming Plunder Exploit: Taking Down Man-o’-Wars Without the Jackdaw
In Black Flag Resynced, naval combat is dynamic and unforgiving. Engaging a Level 49 Spanish Man-o’-War or a heavy Frigate early in the game can quickly result in the Jackdaw being sent to the bottom of the sea. Fortunately, the remake preserves a beloved stealth exploit from the original release that lets you bypass naval warfare entirely.
This exploit allows you to clear the crew of any hostile ship while on foot, making the subsequent boarding process a formality. To pull this off, you must first locate your target ship using the spyglass. Once you have identified a high-value target—such as a ship carrying large quantities of metal or wood—you need to position the Jackdaw carefully. Sail towards the target, but stop and drop anchor roughly 350 to 400 meters away. This distance is crucial; it must be far enough to prevent the enemy vessel from entering its hostile detection state (indicated by the red detection cone on your minimap), but close enough that you can swim the remaining distance.
After anchoring the Jackdaw, dive into the water and swim toward the target ship. Be mindful of your surroundings, as the open sea in the remake features active sharks and rough currents. As you approach the hull of the enemy ship, do not climb up the main boarding nets where guards are stationed. Instead, swim to the bow (the front) or the stern (the back) of the vessel, where detection angles are limited.
Once you climb aboard, you can utilize the updated stealth mechanics. The remake features improved cover systems and whistle mechanics that make sneaking around the deck much more fluid. Begin by climbing the rigging to eliminate the scouts and snipers in the crow’s nests. These guards have the widest line of sight and will quickly spot you if you remain on the deck. After securing the high ground, use air assassinations, sleep darts, or throwables to silently take down the deck crew one by one. Because the ship is not officially in combat, the crew will not respawn.
Once the entire crew has been neutralized, jump back into the water and swim back to the Jackdaw. Take the helm, sail toward the now-ghostly vessel, and fire a single cannonball or mortar shot at it. The game will immediately register the ship as disabled, prompting the option to board. Since you have already cleared the crew, the boarding sequence will automatically succeed, allowing you to instantly claim the cargo, repair the Jackdaw, or send the ship to Kenway’s Fleet. This exploit is an incredibly efficient way to farm heavy cargo like metal and wood, which are required for high-tier upgrades.
Finding the 12 Ultimate Ship Plans
While farming materials through plundering is necessary, you cannot fully upgrade the Jackdaw’s hull, cannons, or mortar systems without acquiring specific blueprints. In Black Flag Resynced, these are known as the 12 Ultimate Ship Plans.
Unlike standard upgrades that can be purchased directly at any harbor master, the Ultimate Plans are hidden across the Caribbean. To locate them, you must first gather treasure maps. There are 26 treasure maps in total, hidden in chests, held by corpses on isolated beaches, or obtained through side activities. Each map contains a set of coordinates pointing to a specific island or cove, along with a crude sketch illustrating where the treasure chest is buried.
Once you have a map, sail to the corresponding coordinates and search the environment. The ground will show a subtle dig prompt when Edward is standing over the correct spot. Opening these buried chests yields substantial amounts of Reals (gold) and, in twelve specific cases, the Ultimate Plans.
These 12 plans are required for the following final upgrades:
- Ultimate Hull Armor: Drastically increases the Jackdaw’s health, allowing it to withstand devastating broadsides from legendary ships.
- Ultimate Broadside Cannons: Increases the number of cannons on each side of the ship to their maximum capacity.
- Ultimate Mortars: Expands the range and explosive radius of your long-distance artillery.
- Ultimate Heavy Shot: Enhances the damage of close-range, un-aimed cannon fire.
- Ultimate Swivel Guns: Improves the precision and reload speed of your auxiliary deck guns.
- Ultimate Ram: Allows you to deal catastrophic damage when ramming enemy vessels head-on.
Having these upgrades is not just about showing off; they are practically mandatory if you wish to tackle the game’s toughest challenges, including the four Legendary Ships patrolling the corners of the world map. If you are struggling with the timing of your attacks during these intense naval engagements, check out our guide on the combat system for details on parrying and countering enemy fire. For more general progression tips, consult our main guides page.
How to Get the Skeleton Crew Cosmetic and Farm Animal Bones
Beyond performance upgrades, many players want to customize the look of their ship and crew. A fan-favorite cosmetic in Black Flag Resynced is the Skeleton Crew, which turns your living crew members into skeletal undead, complete with unique visual effects.
Unlike standard cosmetic sails or figureheads that you buy from a harbor master, unlocking the Skeleton Crew requires a bit of grinding. To get this aesthetic, you must trade a large quantity of Animal Bones at specific locations or craft it through the upgrade menu. Animal Bones can be collected by hunting the various fauna that inhabit the Caribbean islands.
To farm Animal Bones efficiently, you should visit smaller, uninhabited islands where wildlife is dense. Key targets include iguanas, ocelots, and wild boars. When hunting, utilizing Edward’s eagle vision is highly recommended to track animal movements through dense foliage. If you want to bypass hunting entirely, you can purchase Animal Bones from general stores in major cities like Havana or Kingston, though this requires a significant amount of Reals. Once you have accumulated enough bones and completed the necessary hunting challenges, you can toggle the Skeleton Crew option in the cheats or cosmetics menu, giving your voyages a decidedly supernatural atmosphere.
Community Feedback: Customization and Future Updates
Since the game’s release, the community has been active in discussing the naval progression and offering suggestions for future updates. A popular request among players on the game’s subreddits is the addition of a ship weapon transmog system. Currently, upgrading the Jackdaw’s cannons and hulls to their ultimate levels forces a specific gold-plated aesthetic. Many players have expressed a preference for the silver or iron aesthetics of mid-tier weapons, which they feel match better with darker hull customizations like the obsidian ship skin.
Additionally, players have discussed the possibility of a New Game Plus mode and new difficulty scaling options. Some have proposed a difficulty system similar to recent entries like Mirage or Shadows, where enemies deal significantly more damage and stealth detection is much tighter. While Ubisoft Singapore has not officially confirmed these features, the developers have been active in monitoring player feedback as they work on post-launch support.
For more information on the game’s overall design, world-building, and naval mechanics, feel free to visit our naval guide index, or learn how to recruit crucial crew officers to further enhance your performance on the high seas.
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