The Jackdaw has three new Naval Officers to recruit in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, and each one changes how your ship handles in open-sea combat. The Man-At-Arms, a character named Padre, is arguably the most satisfying of the three to find because his buff directly feeds into aggressive naval play. The catch is that his quest doesn't appear on the map until you hit a specific campaign milestone, which means plenty of players sail right past the opportunity without realizing it exists.
What do you need to do before unlocking Man-At-Arms?
The Officer Quest tied to Padre, called A Second Chance, only becomes available after you finish Sequence 04: This Old Cove. Until that sequence wraps up, the quest simply won't appear anywhere on your map or in your Quest Log, so there's no point hunting for it earlier.
Once Sequence 04 is done, check your map and you'll spot a new Officer Quest marker. Track it through the Quest Log to keep it visible as you navigate.
How to complete the Officer Quest
The quest itself is short. You'll track down Padre, follow the quest through a handful of stops, and deal with some sword-based confrontations along the way. Nothing here requires heavy preparation or a fully upgraded Jackdaw. After testing this quest against a lightly upgraded ship, it's clear the combat encounters are tuned to be accessible regardless of where you are in naval progression.
Once the quest resolves, Padre joins the Jackdaw as your Man-At-Arms and you receive the Ram-Dash ability as an immediate reward.
Padre joins the Jackdaw
What does the Man-At-Arms actually do for the Jackdaw?
Padre's contribution is the Ram-Dash ability. When activated, the Jackdaw surges forward at higher speed, letting you close distance on enemy ships fast. Combined with upgraded Ram damage, this turns the Jackdaw into something that can punch through enemy hulls before they have time to reposition.
The ability does have a cooldown, so you can't chain Ram-Dashes back to back through an entire fight. The cooldown reduces when you deal damage using other naval weapons, specifically Broadside Cannons and Fire Barrels. This creates a rhythm worth building around: open with a Ram-Dash to close the gap, switch to broadside fire to chip away at the cooldown, then Ram-Dash again when the timing is right.
Man-At-Arms vs. the other new Naval Officers
Padre suits players who prefer closing in fast and hitting hard rather than trading broadsides at range. If your instinct is to ram and board rather than sit back and fire, he's the officer that matches that style best.
For a full breakdown of every new addition in the game, the complete guide to every new feature in Black Flag Resynced covers all three officers alongside the other major changes.
Quick unlock checklist
- Complete Sequence 04: This Old Cove
- Open your map and locate the new Officer Quest marker, or track A Second Chance via the Quest Log
- Follow the quest through its stops and complete the sword encounters
- Recruit Padre as Man-At-Arms
- Unlock the Ram-Dash ability for the Jackdaw
Padre is one of the more straightforward officers to recruit once you know the trigger, and Ram-Dash pays off immediately in naval fights. For everything else the remaster adds, the full AC Black Flag Resynced guide collection has you covered on the other two officers, the new questlines, and every other addition worth knowing about.