Metal is the bottleneck resource in Black Flag Resynced. You need 4,755 Metal for a fully upgraded Jackdaw — more than any other resource except Reales. Unlike Wood (which drops from nearly every ship) and Cloth (which you can farm from plantations), Metal requires specific strategies. Here are the fastest methods, ranked by efficiency.
Method 1: The Hunter Chain Loop (~1,500 Metal/hour)
This is the single most efficient Metal farm in the game. Here's how it works:
- Max your wanted level — Attack ships until you have 4 red crossed swords. Hunter Ships (Man o' Wars and Frigates) will spawn to hunt you.
- Anchor near a captured friendly fort — The fort's cannons will heavily damage incoming Hunter Ships for free.
- Board weakened ships — Boarding gives 2-3× more Metal than sinking. Man o' Wars drop 100+ Metal, Frigates 50-80.
- Choose "Repair Jackdaw" after each boarding — This keeps your ship healthy without spending resources.
- Repeat — New Hunters spawn every ~2 minutes. The loop is self-sustaining.
Best forts for this: Dry Tortuga and Gibara — they have good cannon coverage and are easy to capture early.
Method 2: Capture Forts (Up to 600 Metal each)
Each of the 11 forts rewards a large one-time Metal payout on capture:
- Easy forts (Gibara, Eleuthera, Dry Tortuga): ~200-400 Metal each
- Medium forts: ~400-500 Metal each
- Hard forts (Serranilla): ~600 Metal
Capturing all 11 forts gives roughly 4,000+ Metal — nearly enough for the full upgrade. Start with the easy three, then work your way up as your Jackdaw improves.
Method 3: Kenway's Fleet (Passive)
Send captured ships on trade routes for passive Metal income. Brigs and Frigates on material routes bring in 20-50 Metal per trip. Collect every ~30 minutes. Best combined with active farming — run the Hunter Chain while your fleet works in the background.
Method 4: Board Large Ships During Exploration
While sailing between missions, use your spyglass to identify ships with Metal cargo. Prioritize:
- Man o' Wars: 100+ Metal per boarding
- Frigates: 50-80 Metal
- Brigs: 10-30 Metal
Ignore schooners and gunboats — they rarely carry Metal.
What NOT to Do
- Don't sell Metal. Ever. You can't buy it back, and you'll need every unit.
- Don't sink ships for Metal. Boarding gives 2-3× the yield. Sinking is a waste.
- Don't rely on warehouse raids for Metal. Warehouses primarily drop trade goods, not Metal.
How Much Metal Do You Actually Need?
The full Jackdaw upgrade requires 4,755 Metal. Here's where it goes:
- Broadside Cannons (levels 2-7): 2,020 Metal
- Mortar (levels 2-4): 1,150 Metal
- Armored Hull (levels 3-5): 700 Metal
- Swivel Guns (levels 1-4): 525 Metal
- Ram (levels 3-4): 350 Metal
If you're prioritizing by our upgrade order, you'll need ~1,700 Metal just for the top 4 upgrades (Hull + Broadside + Mortar). That's about 1 hour of the Hunter Chain loop.