❓ Frequently Asked Questions

You need 309,800 Reales in total for all ship upgrades including the Harbourmaster. Use our upgrade calculator to see the exact breakdown for your target levels.

Ultimate Plans are special blueprints required for the final tier of most Jackdaw upgrades. There are 12 in total — 6 found in underwater shipwrecks (requires the Diving Bell, unlocked in Sequence 6) and 6 from buried treasure (find the treasure map first, then sail to the dig location). See our Ultimate Plans page for all locations.

The community-vetted priority order is: 1) Armored Hull (survivability), 2) Broadside Cannons (damage output), 3) Round & Heated Shot (damage multiplier), 4) Mortar (safe fort attacks), 5) Heavy Shot & Ram (close-range devastation). The calculator follows this priority order automatically.

The fastest method is the Hunter Chain Loop — max your wanted level, anchor near a friendly fort, board the Hunter Ships that spawn. Frigates drop 50-80 Metal, Man o' Wars drop 100+. Check our farming guide for all methods.

Always board. Boarding gives 2-3× more resources than sinking, lets you repair the Jackdaw for free, and adds the captured ship to Kenway's Fleet for passive income. Sinking should only be used when you're in immediate danger.

Kenway's Fleet unlocks in Sequence 4. Captured ships can be sent on automated trade routes to earn passive Reales and materials. Check your fleet every ~30 minutes. Send captured Man o' Wars on Mediterranean routes for maximum returns (~25,000 Reales/hour).

The Diving Bell is unlocked automatically during Sequence 6, Mission 1 ('Diving for Medicines'). You cannot access underwater shipwrecks before this point. Prioritize treasure map plans and other collectibles while you wait.

Yes. You must fully upgrade the Harbourmaster at Great Inagua (3 levels, costs 500 + 2,500 + 5,000 = 8,000 Reales total) before you can purchase any Ultimate-tier ship upgrades, even after finding the plans.

Partially. You can complete most upgrades by mid-game, but the final tiers require Ultimate Plans — half of which are locked behind the Diving Bell (Sequence 6). You can freely explore and upgrade after the story ends — nothing is missable.

All data on this site is for the Resynced (2026 remake) version. Original Black Flag (2013) has different upgrade costs and mechanics. We cross-reference IGN Wiki, PowerPyx, and AllThings.How Resynced-specific sources.

Key additions include: 8 new story missions, new islands and locations, modernized combat and stealth mechanics, 10 new sea shanties, updated graphics with ray tracing support, new outfits and ship customization options, and rebalanced upgrade costs.

Legendary Ships are endgame content — fully upgrade the Jackdaw first. Each of the 5 ships has unique tactics: La Dama Negra uses devastating mortars (stay close), El Impoluto rams (dodge sideways). Each drops 10,000 Reales on defeat.

The Templar Hunt progress bug is the most critical known issue. Ubisoft recommends: never leave a Templar Hunt unfinished — complete all Hunts in a region before doing anything else. Make manual saves before starting any Templar Hunt. A patch is expected.

There are 61 Viewpoints, 79 Chests, 93 Secrets, 27 Shanty Song Sheets, 16 Mayan Stelae, 30 Treasure Maps, 200 Animus Fragments, 30 Assassin Contracts, 15 Naval Contracts, 9 Warehouses, 11 Forts, and 5 Legendary Ships. Use our collectibles tracker to track your progress.

Raid warehouses stealthily (plantations yield Sugar and Rum — sell these), capture small ships for quick loot, and unlock Kenway's Fleet as soon as possible (Sequence 4). Avoid buying weapons early — prioritize ship upgrades.