The Caribbean is full of buried gold in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, but not every dig spot announces itself with a glowing marker. The Salt Lagoon treasure is one of those early finds that a surprising number of players walk right past, and it turns out the reward makes it well worth the detour.
Why this particular chest keeps getting missed
The treasure map for Salt Lagoon is picked up on Abaco Island, and it points you toward a small island that looks deceptively simple. Here's the thing: the actual dig spot sits at coordinates 719,607, tucked just south of a tall rock formation on the northwestern beach. That rock dominates the visual space when you arrive, and the dig prompt blends into the green ferns growing at its base.
Most players scan the beach, see nothing obvious, and move on. The prompt only triggers when Edward Kenway gets close enough to the ferns, which means you can be standing a few meters away and still miss it entirely.
What the chest actually contains
Pop open that buried chest and you get two things: the Serpent Figurehead Design Plan for the Jackdaw, and 3,000 Reales. For a chest this early in the game, that Reales count is genuinely useful. Ship upgrades are expensive, and every bit of currency in the opening hours accelerates how quickly you can make the Jackdaw a serious threat on the water.
The Serpent Figurehead is a cosmetic addition, but it's one of the cleaner-looking options available at this stage. Small win, but a win.
Everything else Salt Lagoon has to offer
If you're going to make the trip, you might as well clear the whole island. Salt Lagoon has a short checklist that covers four activities:
- Viewpoint: Located on the bowsprit of a wrecked ship on the southwest beach
- Chest: Submerged in the sea off the south beach, containing 1,000 Reales
- Secret: A second treasure map on the northeast side of the beach
- Hunt: Deer found toward the middle of the island
The second treasure map found as the island's secret is worth grabbing immediately since it points toward another dig spot you can chain into your next exploration run.
Where Salt Lagoon fits in the broader treasure hunt
Black Flag Resynced leans hard into its treasure map loop, and Salt Lagoon is one of the first real tests of whether you're paying attention to the environment. The original Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag had this same chest in the same location, and the remake preserves the placement exactly, which means veterans of the 2013 original will find it familiar while new players are discovering it fresh.
The key here is that Salt Lagoon sets the template for how treasure hunting works throughout the rest of the game. Maps lead to islands, islands have hidden spots that require you to actually explore rather than follow a waypoint, and the rewards compound over time. Missing one chest early is fine. Missing the habit of thorough exploration is what costs you in the long run.
For players working through the full collection, the all treasure map locations guide for AC Black Flag Resynced has exact coordinates and reward lists for every buried chest across the Caribbean, so you can plan your routes and make sure nothing gets left behind.
