Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced drops you into the Caribbean with more freedom than the game ever tells you about. The world opens up fast, and without a clear priority list, it's easy to spend your first few hours wandering between side activities while your Jackdaw stays dangerously underpowered. These seven steps cut through the noise and get Edward Kenway's pirate career moving in the right direction from the first hour.
Synchronize viewpoints before anything else
Viewpoints are marked as eagle icons on the map, and synchronizing them does two things: they unlock as fast travel points, and they reveal a cluster of map icons around them, including animal locations, chests, treasure maps, and collectibles.
Your first major stop is Havana, Cuba, which has 9 viewpoints. Clearing as many as possible early means future story missions that send you back there won't waste your time navigating blind. Fast travel becomes one of the most valuable tools in the game once the map expands, so building that network early pays off for every hour that follows.
Sync Havana's 9 viewpoints first
How do you get the hidden blades and first pistol?
The hidden blades and your first firearm are locked behind the main story mission called Mr. Walpole, I Presume. There's no way to rush this through side content, so follow the main quest until that mission triggers.
Once you have them, the combat toolkit expands significantly. Double assassinations, aerial assassinations, and ranged attacks all become available, which makes both stealth approaches and open fights far more manageable. Don't try to brute-force early encounters without these tools.
Gather Jackdaw upgrade materials from the start
Jackdaw upgrades unlock 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 is attacking other ships at sea.
The key is targeting ships in the least dangerous zones while the Jackdaw is still weak. Stick to low-threat waters, collect as many materials as possible, and bank them so you're ready to upgrade the moment new tiers unlock. You can also pick up floating barrels and crates on the open sea, and Kenway's Fleet passively generates resources once it's running.
For a full breakdown of what's changed in this remake, check out our guide covering all AC Black Flag Resynced changes from the original 2013 release.
Stock materials before Sequence 3
Upgrade the Great Inagua Harbourmaster early
The Great Inagua hideout unlocks during This Old Cove in Sequence 4. The moment it's available, upgrading the Harbourmaster should be your top priority. There are three Harbourmaster levels, and reaching the third one unlocks every possible Jackdaw upgrade tier.
Without those tiers unlocked, you literally cannot access the best ship upgrades regardless of how many materials you've stockpiled. High-level and legendary ships become far more approachable once the Jackdaw is fully upgraded, and those ships drop the best materials in the game.
Craft all three pistol holsters before Sequence 5
Crafting unlocks after completing This Tyro Captain in Sequence 3. Edward starts with one pistol slot, but you can craft three additional pistol holsters, bringing the total to four pistols. All three can be crafted before the end of Sequence 4, which makes this one of the highest-value early investments in the game.
Four pistols in quick succession
Capture easy forts for fleet zones
changes how combat flows, especially against groups. Hunt the required animals and sharks as you explore rather than making dedicated trips.
Recruit Lucy and Padre as soon as possible
Officer recruitment opens up after fully unlocking Great Inagua in Sequence 4. Access Officer Quests through the map menu by pressing Square on PlayStation or X on Xbox.
The two officers worth targeting immediately are Lucy Baldwin (Shipwright) and the Padre (Master-at-Arms). Lucy's ability reduces damage to the Jackdaw when you brace just before taking a hit, which is one of the most useful defensive mechanics in naval combat. Padre upgrades the Jackdaw's ram attack to deal more damage, which opens up new boarding strategies.
For a step-by-step breakdown of how to recruit Padre, our Man-at-Arms unlock guide covers the full Officer Quest requirements.
Craft all 4 holsters early
Capture the easy forts to unlock Kenway's Fleet zones
Red forts on the map guard access to Kenway's Fleet zones. Capturing a fort opens that zone for fleet deployment, letting you send ships from Great Inagua to passively earn materials and reales while you play.
The three easiest forts to start with are in Gibara, Eleuthera, and Dry Tortuga. Attack their defenses from the sea with your best weapons, and board nearby enemy ships to repair the Jackdaw mid-fight as long as you don't drift outside the fort's radius. Forts repair themselves the moment you leave their range, so don't break off the assault unless you're boarding for repairs.
With these priorities locked in, the rest of the Caribbean opens up on your terms. For everything else the remake adds, the full AC Black Flag Resynced guides collection covers new features, new officers, trophies, and more.