The Jackdaw is only as strong as the crew running it. Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, Ubisoft's remake of the beloved 2013 original, brings back the officer system with five recruitable characters who each add meaningful abilities to Edward Kenway's ship. Some are impossible to miss. Others require tracking down specific side quests that the game barely advertises.
Here's the lowdown on all five officers, when they become available, and what each one actually does for your naval game.
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The five officers and when you get them
Officers slot into two categories: those the main story hands you automatically, and those you have to actively pursue. Three of the five come with their own dedicated quest lines under the Officers tab in the Map menu. Completing those full quest lines is optional for the unlock itself, but you'll want to finish them for the story payoff.
Here's the full roster at a glance:
Two of those five, Adéwalé and Anne Bonny, are pure story beats with no special officer abilities attached. They join the Jackdaw as quartermasters at different points in the campaign, and both are locked in regardless of your choices.
The officers who actually change how you play
The three officers worth actively hunting are Lucy Baldwin, the Padre, and Tobias "Deadman" Smith. Each one unlocks a distinct ability that changes the Jackdaw's combat options in a real way.
Lucy Baldwin becomes available after completing the "This Old Cove" main quest in Sequence 4. Adéwalé mentions her, and you'll find her held prisoner in a British fleet near Salt Key Bank. Her ability as shipwright lets you massively reduce incoming damage by bracing at exactly the right moment. The timing window is tight, but once you have it down, it makes late-game naval battles significantly more survivable.
For a full breakdown of how to reach her and complete her quest line, the AC Black Flag Resynced Shipwright unlock guide walks through every step.
The Padre, whose real name is Abel Galvão, is also available from Sequence 4 after "This Old Cove" wraps up. He's described by Adéwalé as a genuine threat who has since turned to religion, and you'll find him in Caracol, a small village on the southeast side of the map. Recruit him and the Jackdaw gains the ram-dash ability, a short burst of forward speed that lets you slam directly into enemy ships. He also participates physically in boarding and fort battles, which is a nice touch. The Man-at-Arms unlock guide covers the full "A Second Chance" quest in detail.
Tobias "Deadman" Smith is the hardest to get. His quest line, "A World Without Gold," only opens up after completing "Everything is Permitted" in Sequence 11. The chain eventually leads to a fight against a full British fleet commanded by the HMS Demolition, which is a serious test of your ship's upgrades. Beat it, return to Great Inagua during the "It's a Start" secondary objective, and Deadman joins up. His ability fires an extra salvo from the Jackdaw's broadside cannons, which stacks on top of your existing firepower in a way that absolutely shreds enemy ships.
What this means for players building toward endgame
The key here is that none of the three ability-granting officers require you to finish their full quest lines to unlock. Completing the initial trigger quest is enough to bring them aboard. The extended story missions are bonus content, not a gate.
That said, prioritizing Lucy and the Padre in Sequence 4 pays dividends fast. Both abilities, perfect brace and ram-dash, are useful from the moment you get them and stay relevant through the entire campaign. Deadman is a late-game power spike rather than a gradual upgrade, so the wait is worth it if you're pushing toward 100% completion.
For every officer guide in one place, the full Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced guide collection has you covered as you work through the rest of the game.
