Ubisoft has rolled out the full patch notes for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, and update 1.04 lands today, July 16, on PS5. The patch weighs in at 2.44GB and targets a wide spread of issues that players have been running into since launch.
What this patch actually fixes
Here's the lowdown: this isn't a content drop. Update 1.04 is a pure bug-fix patch, but the sheer volume of addressed issues tells you something about the state the game shipped in. The most impactful fixes are spread across lighting, quests, and some genuinely annoying gameplay locks.
The lighting situation has been one of the loudest complaints since launch. Players have reported pitch-black interiors, caves with near-zero visibility, and ship boarding sequences where you can barely tell enemies apart from crew. This patch fixes multiple indoor and cavern lighting issues and, perhaps more meaningfully, tweaks the weather system to push more sun and clear skies into the rotation. If you've felt like Edward Kenway has been sailing through an eternal storm, that should change.
On the gameplay side, the most serious fix is the Jackdaw disappearing when upgraded while docked. Losing your ship mid-playthrough is a session-ender, full stop. The patch also sorts out a harpooning lock that occurred when players triggered boarding immediately after starting a harpooning sequence, a movement freeze after exiting minigames, and the unintended double jump that appeared when advanced parkour was enabled.
Quest fixes worth knowing about
Five named quests receive targeted fixes in this update. "The Observatory" had allies failing to arrive alongside Roberts, which broke the sequence entirely. "A Governor No Longer" could strand players behind an Animus wall with no way forward. "The Other Brother" allowed Upton to be assassinated ahead of schedule, creating a progression break. The patch also resolves a conflict between "Imagine My Surprise" and "The Commander's Ruse" that prevented both from being completed simultaneously.
The El Tiburon boss fight also gets attention. Breaking his defense wasn't telegraphed clearly enough, so Ubisoft has added in-fight hints to guide players through the mechanic. It's a minor quality-of-life addition, but one that'll save a lot of frustrated restarts.
PC players get a fix too
The patch isn't PS5-exclusive in scope. PC players running custom graphics settings were seeing cutscenes locked at 30 FPS regardless of their hardware. That's now fixed. There's no word yet on patch sizing for PC, but the underlying fixes appear consistent across platforms.
Full patch notes breakdown
General
- Fixed multiple save/load issues
- Fixed localization issues for Simplified Chinese, Italian, and Arabic
- Fixed a dubbing issue affecting voiceover playback and cutscene visuals in localized versions
- Improved performance and stability
- Fixed PC cutscenes locked at 30 FPS on custom graphics settings
- Fixed multiple lighting issues indoors and in caverns
- Added hints for breaking El Tiburon's defense
- Fixed unintended double jump with advanced parkour enabled
Gameplay
- Fixed clipping into ship hulls while swimming
- Fixed movement lock after exiting a minigame
- Fixed ally stopping if players assassinated their assigned kill
- Fixed harpooning lock when boarding starts immediately after harpooning
- Fixed civilians entering Brawl zones
- Fixed inability to dodge the Humpback Whale tail slap during harpooning
- Fixed aiming not resuming after being hit while using Rope Dart or Smoke Bomb
- Fixed Jackdaw disappearing when upgraded while docked
- Fixed Edward's hands showing no movement during minigames
World
- Fixed various Animus wall issues
- Fixed various Fast Travel issues
- Fixed out-of-bounds access points
- Fixed weather never becoming foggy
- Fixed floating bushes
- Tweaked weather to increase sun and clear sky frequency
UI/Menu
- Fixed desynchronization screen lock when rapidly opening and closing the menu
- Fixed location activity icons disappearing from the map after a reboot
Visuals and graphics
- Fixed minor graphical issues
- Fixed visual issues on some Hideout ship models
- Fixed various character and clothing clipping
- Corrected texture issues on side characters
Audio
- Fixed single body drop sounding like multiple drops
Quests
- "Rift: Wayward Desires": Fixed missing second zipline after falling from the first
- Fixed "Imagine My Surprise" and "The Commander's Ruse" being unable to complete simultaneously
- "The Other Brother": Fixed Upton being assassinated ahead of schedule
- "The Observatory": Fixed allies not arriving with Roberts
- "A Governor No Longer": Fixed progression block caused by Animus wall
The key here is that Ubisoft is moving quickly for a game that's been out less than two weeks. This is the kind of first patch that suggests active support rather than a ship-and-move-on approach. If you've been holding off on diving deeper into the game's systems, now's a reasonable time to jump back in. Check out the AC Black Flag Resynced guides for everything from hideout upgrade priorities to tracking down all treasure map locations.
