In Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, your ship is your primary means of travel and one of the best ways to gather valuable resources. Here is how to repair and upgrade the Jackdaw, along with the improvements you should prioritize.
The Jackdaw is far more than a simple means of transportation. In Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the strength of your ship often determines how manageable – or difficult – naval battles become. Smaller vessels pose little threat early on, but you will eventually face frigates, men-of-war, and legendary ships. Without the right improvements, you will quickly find yourself outmatched. Fortunately, the Jackdaw can be upgraded step by step. With the right investments, it can withstand more punishment, deal significantly more damage, and hold its own in almost any battle at sea.
How to repair your ship – Keeping the Jackdaw battle-ready
After every major naval battle, you should check the condition of the Jackdaw. A heavily damaged ship will sink much faster and can make even routine encounters unnecessarily difficult. The ship’s remaining health is displayed as a white bar in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
The simplest way to repair the Jackdaw is to visit a harbormaster. You can pay to have your ship fully restored in almost every major port. The more damage the Jackdaw has sustained, the more expensive the repairs will be. You first gain access to a harbormaster after completing the opening main missions, including “Claiming What’s Due”.
Boarding enemy ships is an equally useful alternative. After successfully boarding a vessel, you can use it to restore part of the Jackdaw’s health. You will also receive new crew members, Reales, and valuable materials. If you are already looking to gather resources, this is usually the better option. When your ship is badly damaged, however, you should ideally target smaller vessels with limited defenses.
Your crew will also repair minor damage automatically whenever you are not actively engaged in combat. These repairs take some time, however, and cannot replace a visit to the harbormaster if the Jackdaw has suffered extensive damage. In most cases, only a single section of the health bar will be restored.
The harbormaster is your most important port of call
Many players only visit the harbormaster when their ship has been damaged. In reality, you will need to return regularly throughout the entire game.
At the harbormaster, you can:
- repair the Jackdaw
- purchase every available ship upgrade
- unlock higher upgrade tiers once you have met the necessary requirements
Whenever you have accumulated enough materials and Reales, it is worth checking which new improvements are available to purchase.
The Jackdaw upgrades you should buy first
Especially during the early stages of the game, you will not have enough money and resources to purchase every available improvement. Choosing the right upgrade order therefore makes a considerable difference.
Armored Hull
The Armored Hull is one of the most valuable upgrades available for the Jackdaw. More health allows you to survive longer battles, recover from more mistakes, and stand a much better chance against larger warships. If you can only afford a single improvement, upgrading the hull is almost always a safe choice.
Broadside Cannons
Your Broadside Cannons will account for most of the damage you deal during naval combat, and every upgrade produces an immediately noticeable improvement. More powerful cannons significantly shorten battles against medium-sized and larger vessels, which also means you will have to withstand fewer incoming attacks yourself.
Mortar
The Mortar is easy to underestimate at the beginning of the game, but it eventually becomes one of the Jackdaw’s most powerful weapons. It allows you to attack enemy vessels from long range, before they are close enough to return fire with their own cannons. This gives you an enormous advantage against large warships in particular.
Heavy Shot
Heavy Shot should also be upgraded relatively early. It inflicts big damage at close range and is an excellent way to disable enemy ships quickly. Players who prefer an aggressive approach to naval combat will find this upgrade especially valuable.
Ram
Not every naval encounter needs to end with an exchange of cannon fire. Smaller vessels can often be dealt with efficiently by ramming them. An upgraded Ram inflicts considerably more damage and makes the subsequent boarding action much easier.
Ammunition Storage
Additional ammunition capacity may not sound particularly exciting, but it makes longer battles considerably more manageable. Mortars and other specialized weapons benefit in particular, as increased storage means you will not have to replenish your supplies as frequently.
Resources are more important than money
Many upgrades require more than Reales. You will also need several different materials, including:
- Wood
- Metal
- Cloth
- Sugar
- Rum
Most resources are obtained by sinking or boarding enemy ships. Larger opponents generally carry more valuable cargo, so it is worth targeting trade routes and convoys rather than indiscriminately destroying every vessel you encounter. Once the Jackdaw is yours, you can also use the spyglass to inspect larger ships from a distance. Zoom in far enough and you will be able to see exactly what cargo they are carrying, allowing you to decide whether an attack is worth the risk.
- By the way: Choosing the right settings at the beginning of the game can make your adventure even more enjoyable.
Ultimate Ship Plans unlock the best upgrades
The highest upgrade tiers cannot be purchased immediately. Before they become available, you will need to find special Ultimate Ship Plans. These can be discovered:
- inside underwater shipwrecks
- at locations marked on treasure maps
- in remote areas of the Caribbean
Once you have obtained the corresponding plan, you can purchase the upgrade from a harbormaster.
Which upgrades can wait
Not every upgrade provides an immediate gameplay advantage. Cosmetic customizations only change the appearance of the Jackdaw. While a new look can provide some welcome variety, spending resources on cosmetics early in the game will slow down your overall progression. It is better to save these upgrades for the midgame or endgame.
Some specialized weapons also become truly important only later in the campaign. During the opening hours, you will benefit far more from stronger hull armor and more powerful primary cannons.
