Choosing the right settings can make your first hours in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag much more enjoyable. Here are the options you should adjust before setting sail.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced not only delivers a complete graphical overhaul, but also offers far more customization options than the original. Some of these have a noticeable impact on image quality, accessibility, and even gameplay. Before heading into the Caribbean with Edward Kenway, you should take a moment to adjust these five settings.
1. Adjust Motion Blur to match your frame rate
Motion Blur is one of those settings players either love or hate. In Black Flag Resynced, however, it serves a useful purpose. When playing in a 30 or 40 FPS mode, Motion Blur makes camera movements appear noticeably smoother and helps the game feel more fluid overall.
If you are using the 60 FPS Performance Mode, you can safely disable the effect. The higher frame rate already produces smooth motion, while turning off Motion Blur also makes the image appear slightly sharper. Players who are prone to motion sickness should disable it at the beginning of the game regardless of their chosen graphics mode.
Our recommendation:
- 30 or 40 FPS: Leave Motion Blur enabled
- 60 FPS: Disable Motion Blur
2. Enable Area Loot
The Gameplay menu contains a small quality-of-life feature that can save you a considerable amount of time throughout your playthrough. With Area Loot enabled, Edward collects all loot in his immediate surroundings at once. Without this option, you have to pick up every individual item separately during missions. This eliminates plenty of unnecessary button presses, especially after larger battles or when looting groups of defeated enemies.
3. Disable Screen Shake and Ship Camera Sway
If games tend to make you feel dizzy or you are particularly sensitive to camera movement, this may be the most important adjustment on the list alongside Motion Blur. By default, Black Flag Resynced simulates the impact of attacks during combat as well as the constant rocking of the ship while sailing across the open sea. While these effects add to the atmosphere, they can also cause motion sickness during longer play sessions.
We therefore recommend disabling both Screen Shake and Ship Camera Sway. The overall gameplay experience remains virtually unchanged, but the camera becomes considerably calmer and more comfortable, making it easier to focus on the action.
4. Enable Advanced Parkour
Players who want greater control over Edward’s movements should enable Advanced Parkour. This unlocks additional traversal options and allows you to perform side and back ejects more freely, giving you much more precise control during chases and fast-paced escape sequences.
There is a trade-off, however: more freedom also means more responsibility. A poorly timed or accidental jump can send Edward tumbling to the ground. After a brief adjustment period, though, the parkour system feels considerably more responsive and dynamic.
5. Choose the right Graphics Mode
Several Graphics Modes are available on PS5 and Xbox Series X. The best option largely depends on the display you are using. If you own a television or monitor with a 120Hz refresh rate, the Balanced Mode is an excellent choice. It combines smoother gameplay with additional ray-traced reflections, making the open sea look noticeably more impressive than it does in Performance Mode.
If you do not have a 120Hz display, your choice will generally come down to 30 or 60 FPS. Players who prioritize the smoothest possible gameplay should select Performance Mode. If visual quality matters more to you, Fidelity Mode offers the more impressive presentation – albeit at a significantly lower frame rate.
