The sea is where Black Flag lives. Master the Jackdaw's arsenal and the boarding loop and you can plunder anything afloat — from lone schooners to the Legendary Man-o-Wars.
The Jackdaw's weapons
💥 Broadside cannons
Your main damage against big ships — aim for the waterline and fire on the roll.
🎯 Swivel guns
Pinpoint shots to finish weakened crews, snipe powder barrels and pop weak points.
🔗 Chain shot & mortar
Chain shot slows and disables; the heavy mortar rains on distant ships and forts.
🐏 Ram & fire barrels
Ram brigs and gunboats for instant kills; drop fire barrels to escape a pile-up.
🆕 New in Resynced
Heated shot adds burn damage to Broadsides, shrapnel barrels shred sails and rigging, double-shot Bow Chaser Cannons hit twice per volley, and Deadman's Cohort swaps the mortar to slow-arcing Carcass bombs.
In battle
- Brace (hold the prompt) just before incoming broadsides to cut the damage you take; Lucy Baldwin's Perfect Brace perk turns a well-timed brace into near-total damage nullification.
- The Padre's Ram Dash perk surges the Jackdaw forward for a heavier collision hit than the base ram, and he personally joins your boarding parties once recruited.
- Keep the wind at your back for speed and use islands to break line of fire.
- Whittle a ship to boarding range, then complete the objective to plunder or claim it.
- Prioritise the most dangerous ship (Man-o-War, frigate) and mop up gunboats with the ram.
- Deadman Smith's Extra Salvo adds a second broadside volley on a short cooldown once he's recruited — a straightforward damage boost that stacks with everything else here.
Boarding
- Boarding objectives vary — kill a number of crew, destroy barrels, or reach the wheel.
- Use swivel guns from the rigging, then the rope dart and air assassinations on the deck.
- Choose your reward: repair the Jackdaw, lower your Wanted level, take gold, or add the ship to your fleet.
- Resynced adds a fourth option on frigates and Man-o-Wars: the Captain's Lockbox, an extra haul of currency and trade goods on top of the usual rewards.
- Capturing (not sinking) is how you grow Kenway's Fleet and its passive income.
Ship types you'll fight
⛵ Schooners & gunboats
Fast and fragile — ram them or a single broadside sinks them; easy early plunder.
🚢 Brigs
The workhorse merchantman; board them for metal and wood to fund upgrades.
⚔️ Frigates
Tougher warships with real firepower — brace their broadsides and target the waterline.
🏴☠️ Man-o-Wars
Floating fortresses; only engage with a well-upgraded Jackdaw and plenty of mortar.
Weather at sea
Resynced adds dynamic weather that changes a fight mid-battle: waterspouts can toss ships around if you sail too close, and lightning strikes add another hazard to track alongside enemy broadsides. Treat a storm rolling in as a reason to reposition, not just scenery.
Cross-checked
Cross-checked on 6 September 2026 against Ubisoft's official naval-gameplay deep dive for Black Flag Resynced and the officer guides of KeenGamer and GamesRadar. No source we checked gave a firm Reales figure for the Lockbox's contents, so this page doesn't quote one — treat any specific number you see elsewhere as a community estimate, not a confirmed rate. What is still unverified is the only thing reading cannot settle — nobody here has played it.