The best ship upgrades to buy first in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced are the Armored Hull, the Broadside Cannons and Round and Heated Shot. Hull armor keeps the Jackdaw alive in early fights, while more broadside cannons and stronger round shot let you disable ships fast enough to board them, which is where the money and materials for every later upgrade come from.
Below is our full priority order, what each upgrade does, how the Harbormaster gates the higher tiers, and the free upgrades from officers that most players pick up late.
How Ship Upgrades Work in Resynced
Ship upgrades moved out of the Captain’s Cabin. Ubisoft’s naval deep dive says purchasing upgrades, restocking weapons and trading cargo now happen at the local Harbourmaster in ports around the Caribbean. Upgrades cost Reales plus materials such as Metal, Wood and Cloth, which you mostly get by plundering ships. Higher-level ships carry more, and your Spyglass shows what a ship holds before you attack.
Two more gates apply:
- The Hideout Harbormaster. Once you take over Great Inagua in Sequence 4, you can rebuild its Harbormaster through three levels. Ubisoft says each level increases “the number and tier of upgrades you can purchase for the Jackdaw.” Upgrade it as soon as you can.
- Ultimate Plans. The final tier of several upgrades needs an Ultimate Plan. There are twelve, split between underwater shipwrecks and treasure maps.
Buy These First
- Armored Hull. More hull health means you survive long enough to win.
- Broadside Cannons. Your main damage source. Each tier adds more cannons per volley, which is more total damage every time you fire.
- Round and Heated Shot. Raises the damage of your standard broadside ammunition, the shot you will fire most. Heated shot, new in Resynced, fires several fiery volleys in quick succession.
These three together turn most early fights from a slog into a quick disable and board.
Buy These Next
- Heavy Shot. Short-range broadside ammo for hitting a ship’s weak points hard. Our Heavy Shot guide covers when to use it.
- Mortar and Mortar Storage. Your longest-range weapon and a huge damage dealer, held back only by its small ammo count. Upgrade the storage alongside it.
- Ram. Ramming is far stronger in Resynced, especially once you recruit the Padre, whose perk unlocks the Ram Dash, a faster charge with more damage. In the original game the ram came only after beating all four Legendary Ships.
Worth Buying, Not Urgent
- Swivel Guns. Now aimed by hand, which makes them genuinely useful for finishing ships and hitting weak points. Our swivel gun guide explains them.
- Bow Chasers and Front Cannons. Your only forward-facing guns, good for chasing ships down or softening one up before a ram. Ubisoft added a double shot mode for them.
- Crew Quarters. More crew for boarding. You rarely run short, but space matters in long sessions.
Leave for Last
- Harpoons, Harpoon Storage and Rowboat Armor. These only help the harpooning minigame. Once the General Store on Great Inagua is fully upgraded, it sells the animal parts harpooning gives you, so these can wait until you have spare money.
Free Upgrades From Officers
Three new officers each permanently unlock a perk for the Jackdaw once you recruit them, according to Ubisoft:
| Officer | Perk |
|---|---|
| Lucy Baldwin (shipwright) | Perfect Brace: time your Brace and incoming damage is almost completely nullified |
| The Padre (master-at-arms) | Ram Dash, plus he joins your boarding parties |
| Tobias “Deadman” Smith (master gunner) | An extra broadside volley with minimal cooldown, and the Deadman’s Cohort mortar mode |
Adewale points you to Lucy and the Padre once you reach Great Inagua, and you do not have to finish their whole questlines to recruit them. That makes them some of the best value “upgrades” in the game.
Tips for Upgrading Faster
- Board, do not sink. Boarding gives double the loot of a sinking, per Ubisoft, and the materials are exactly what upgrades need.
- Check cargo with the Spyglass. Short on Metal? Only attack ships carrying it.
- Repair between fights. Our ship repair guide covers repairs at sea.
- Dig up treasure. Several treasure maps hold Ultimate Plans; our treasure guide explains how to find them.
- Fund it. A fully upgraded Jackdaw costs over 300,000 Reales in all, so our money guide is worth a read.
When the ship is maxed, put it to work on the hardest fights at sea with our Legendary Ships guide, or browse the rest on our Assassin’s Creed guides hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best first upgrade for the Jackdaw? The Armored Hull, closely followed by Broadside Cannons and Round and Heated Shot. Survive first, then hit harder.
Where do you upgrade the Jackdaw in Black Flag Resynced? At a Harbourmaster in port. Upgrades are no longer bought from the Captain’s Cabin.
Why can’t I buy higher-tier ship upgrades? You need to upgrade the Harbormaster at your Great Inagua Hideout, and the final tiers also need Ultimate Plans.
Do ship upgrades carry over to New Game Plus? Yes. The 1.0.8 patch notes say all of the Jackdaw’s upgrades, unlocked officer abilities and pets carry over.
Are harpoon upgrades worth it? Not early. They only help harpooning, and the fully upgraded General Store sells the animal parts that harpooning gives.