Every Jackdaw Upgrade Worth Buying First In Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Guide

Every Jackdaw upgrade runs through the Harbourmaster, a vendor marked by a ship icon on the map in most major port towns. Speak to him and select the Upgrade Ship option to access the full upgrade menu. Prices show up in Reales, the game’s main currency earned through raiding, naval contracts and looting across the open world.

The upgrade tiers stay gated behind the Harbourmaster’s own level though. Players absolutely need to liberate Great Inagua during the main campaign to push past the early tiers of the shop. That story beat also kicks off the full 5 Templar Keys questline covered in our dedicated guide to grab the legendary Templar Armor. Once the island falls under control, the NPC with the Harbourmaster icon sets up shop right on the docks of Edward Kenway’s hideout. Every additional level with this vendor unlocks deeper tiers to take on the legendary ships of the remake.

Round and Heated Shot stands as the single most important upgrade line on the Jackdaw in the entire game. This munition directly boosts the damage output of the Broadside Cannons across every tier of progression. The damage bonus tops out at +160% at the maximum level of this crucial upgrade line.

The Broadside Cannons stay the weapon Edward Kenway fires the most in naval combat during the remake. Pouring resources into this upgrade produces an immediate and obvious effect on how fast enemy ships sink. Heated Shot, the flaming variant that packs devastating burst damage, benefits from this scaling boost too. Consistently landing Heated Shot on enemy hulls stays the fastest way to end naval fights. Upgrade costs kick off around 1,000 Reales at the entry tier. They ramp up progressively into thousands of Reales plus Metal and Wood for the advanced tiers of the game.

Offense means nothing if the Jackdaw sinks before the enemy does. Armored Hull upgrades raise the ship’s maximum health up to 5,000 HP at the max level. The progression stretches across 5 tiers of successive upgrades at the Harbourmaster.

The base armor of the Jackdaw starts genuinely low in the opening hours of Edward Kenway’s adventure. Multi-ship encounters happen constantly in open-water combat and during fort assaults. This upgrade pairs perfectly with Round and Heated Shot to balance offense and defense. More HP means more time to line up broadside volleys without panicking against massive enemy attacks. Tier III notably costs 4,000 Reales, 100 units of Metal and 200 units of Wood in total investment. Tier V further requires the Armored Hull Ultimate Plan hidden in the San Ignacio underwater wreck.

Broadside Cannons upgrades increase the number of cannons mounted on the Jackdaw’s sides. The total caps at 18 cannons spread across 7 tiers of progressive upgrades. More cannons mean more projectiles per volley with a much larger hit zone on enemy ships.

This upgrade becomes especially valuable against larger vessels like Man-o-Wars. Schooners and small brigs don’t offer enough impact surface to justify this upgrade in the early game. Against fortified endgame ships, the additional firepower makes a real strategic difference. The extra shots also create perfect openings to use the Swivel Gun against distracted enemies. Tier III costs 2,000 Reales and 150 units of Metal for this crucial upgrade to the Jackdaw.

The Mortar adds a long-range weapon system to the Jackdaw that operates completely independently from the Broadside Cannons. This weapon proves especially effective against Forts, where stationary towers can’t dodge incoming strikes. Sustained Mortar fire stacks damage quickly before the Jackdaw even closes to firing range.

Mortar damage scales up to +400% at max level across 5 tiers of upgrades. The tradeoff stays the limited ammo, which justifies upgrading Mortar Storage in parallel. The stock caps at 20 shots across 4 tiers of dedicated upgrades. Using the Mortar as an opening attack before switching to Broadside Cannons stays the reliable strategy against high-level ships. Mortar Storage breaks down across 3 successive tiers. The costs come to 800 Reales, then 2,000 Reales and finally 5,000 Reales to max out the stock available in combat.

The Ram is easy to overlook because it forces Edward Kenway to charge straight at enemy ships. This approach exposes the Jackdaw to enemy fire right in the line of enemy artillery. The Ram turns into a devastating combat tool though once the Master at Arms officer joins the crew.

This officer unlocks a dedicated ram ability triggered by pressing both triggers on the controller simultaneously. The damage output alone destroys low-tier ships instantly without even burning ammo. Ram upgrades further amplify this ability’s damage to dominate enemy fleets quickly. This upgrade thus lets players wipe out the weakest ships before focusing on tougher targets. Tier III of the Ram requires the Ram Ultimate Plan hidden in the La Concepción underwater wreck southwest of Chinchorro.

Crew Quarters upgrades increase the size of Edward Kenway’s pirate crew. This expansion directly influences the success rate of boarding sequences against enemy ships. A larger crew keeps enemy sailors busy during boarding fights on massive vessels.

This upgrade becomes crucial during endgame combat against Man-o-Wars. These imposing ships require completing multiple distinct objectives to finalize the official capture. Having more friendly pirates then reduces the risk of getting overwhelmed before wrapping up the boarding sequence. This upgrade stays secondary compared to pure combat upgrades in the early game though.

Harpoon upgrades depend directly on the Harbourmaster rather than the Jackdaw itself. Hunting sharks and whales provides valuable materials used to upgrade Edward Kenway’s personal gear. Once past the early bull sharks, the base Harpoon damage doesn’t cut it against tougher prey before running out of spears.

This upgrade line stays relatively cheap compared to ship upgrades. It’s worth grabbing whenever spare Reales allow financing it without compromising the other upgrades. Entry-level tiers of the Harpoon start around a few hundred Reales for a modest investment. Rare oceanic prey like the giant great white shark or the humpback whale then become accessible to complete the maritime collectibles of the remake.