Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Jackdaw Secondary Fire Modes Guide

The Jackdaw got a serious overhaul in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. Naval combat was already one of the original game's strongest elements, but Resynced layers in four new secondary fire modes, a reworked Swivel Gun, and three new Naval Officers who each bring their own active perks to the fight. The problem is that most of these upgrades are gated behind specific quests and fort captures, so you can easily reach the mid-game without knowing they exist.

What are all the Jackdaw secondary fire modes in Black Flag Resynced?

There are four new secondary fire modes added in Resynced, one for each of the Jackdaw's core weapon categories. Here's the full breakdown:

• Heated Shot (Broadsides): Fires multiple volleys of fast-firing shots at medium range.
• Carcass Bomb (Mortars): Fires a rapid stream of bombs at the target, with adjustable aim while firing.
• Double Shot (Bow Chaser): Fires two volleys of roundshot to damage ships and create weak points.
• Shrapnel Barrel (Barrels): Releases barrels that damage sails with a cloud of shrapnel, with a larger area of effect when detonated by the Swivel Gun.

The Swivel Gun itself has also been updated to use the manual aiming system from AC Rogue, giving you direct control rather than the auto-targeting from the original game. That change alone makes detonating barrels significantly more satisfying.

Broadside secondary fire options

How do you unlock every Jackdaw weapon and secondary fire?

Here's the thing: getting a fully armed Jackdaw requires you to push deep into the main campaign and track down specific Naval Officer quests. Nothing here is available from the start.

How do you unlock the Naval Officer perks?

The three new Naval Officers each come with a unique active perk for the Jackdaw, and all three require completing their associated questlines. These aren't passive stat boosts; they're active abilities you trigger during naval combat.

Ram Dash comes from completing the Padre Naval Officer questline, specifically the mission "Loyalty, Discipline, and Courage." It lets you charge forward at high speed, useful for closing gaps on fleeing ships or repositioning aggressively.

Perfect Brace is tied to the Lucy Baldwin Naval Officer questline and the mission "The One with the Gun." Timing a brace just before projectiles land dramatically cuts incoming damage, which becomes essential against heavily armed Man O' Wars.

For a full breakdown of what each Naval Officer brings to the Jackdaw beyond just these perks, the new features guide for Black Flag Resynced covers the complete officer roster and their passive bonuses.

Lucy Baldwin officer perk unlock

Which secondary fire modes are worth prioritizing?

After testing all four against a range of ship types, Heated Shot and Shrapnel Barrel stand out as the most immediately impactful. Heated Shot turns broadside exchanges into sustained pressure rather than single salvos, while Shrapnel Barrel gives you a reliable way to strip enemy sails before moving in for a boarding.

Double Shot is the strongest single upgrade for Bow Chaser users. Creating weak points on enemy ships opens them up for follow-up broadside volleys, and capturing Dry Tortuga Fort is worth doing for this alone.

Carcass Bomb requires completing the Deadman Naval Officer quest, which means it's tied to the same questline that unlocks the Master Gunner officer. If you're planning to pursue that officer anyway, the mortar upgrade comes along for the ride.

For context on how these weapons fit into all the other changes Resynced makes to the original game, the full list of AC Black Flag Resynced changes is worth a read before you start.

Quick unlock priority order

If you want to build toward a fully equipped Jackdaw as efficiently as possible:

1. Complete Sequence 03 missions to unlock Round Shot, Chain Shot, Fire Barrel, and the Swivel Gun baseline.
2. Visit the Quartermaster to pick up Heavy Shot and Mortar Bomb.
3. Complete Sequence 03: Proper Defences for Heated Shot.
4. Capture Dry Tortuga Fort for Double Shot.
5. Capture Charlotte Fort for Shrapnel Barrel.
6. Complete the Padre Naval Officer questline for Ram Dash.
7. Complete the Lucy Baldwin Naval Officer questline for Perfect Brace.
8. Complete the Deadman Naval Officer questline for Carcass Bomb.

For everything else you need before launch, the full AC Black Flag Resynced guide collection has trophy guides, platform availability, completion time estimates, and more.