Assassin's Creed Black Flag - Road to Launch

Hello everyone!

We’re back and with us being a week away from launch, it’s time to batten down the hatches and prepare yourselves to set sail on July 9th. Here’s all the key things you need to know to set off on your adventure in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. And for those of you who have been following along with our Deep Dive series, check out some of the clips below for some new gameplay elements we haven’t shown before.

HUD settings may vary depending on the capture to showcase examples of customizable options.

RELEASE MAP

Check out the map below for information on when Resynced will become available in your location.

Click here to see the image in high quality.

THIS IS RESYNCED

13 years later, the iconic pirate adventure returns with a slew of new features, story content and gameplay improvements.

Set in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy, Black Flag Resynced tells the story of Edward Kenway, a brash Welsh privateer turned pirate who inadvertently gets swept into the ancient war between Assassins and Templars. On the hunt for the Observatory – a mythical device capable of tracking anyone in the world using a blood sample – Edward must face the consequences of his greed and chart a path of redemption that will lead him to the Assassins Brotherhood.

COMBAT, PARKOUR & STEALTH RESYNCED

For more info on the Ground Gameplay of Resynced check out our Deep Dive here.

COMBAT

Advanced Combat to Unleash Your Creativity

Resynced’s updated core combat loop is all about breaking an enemies’ defence. While you could certainly try hack and slashing them to death, you’ll quickly find that Edward has an arsenal of tools and moves at his disposal to break defence and get brutal takedowns.

• Hidden Blade Takedown: Breaking an enemy’s defense with a Perfect Parry will trigger a Hidden Blade takedown.

• Chain Takedowns: Triggered by timing a Perfect Parry, Edward can chain his takedowns to up to four nearby enemies, depending on the sword he carries.

• Wall Takedown: Kick an enemy into a wall to initiate a fatal takedown.

• Ground Takedown: Grounded enemies (from an explosion or Sweep move) can be killed by a Ground Takedown

• Kick and Sweep: The kick can also stagger enemies and send them back, great for crowd control. The Sweep will allow Edward to perform a Ground Takedown.

• Rope Dart: Use the Rope Dart to open up enemies for attacks and bring them closer to you. You can use it to interrupt attacks from range as well. To make the Rope Dart a much more strategic item for Edward, he will be able to get his hands on it much earlier (sequence 3 in Resynced vs. sequence 11 in the original).

• Each of Edward’s main weapons employs a Heavy Attack (by holding down the attack button) which causes more damage and can break defence easier but has a longer wind up time.

  • Rapier: Heavy Strikes are more damaging and can pierce through foes.

  • Cutlass: Heavy Strikes cover a wide area, hitting multiple enemies.

  • Pistol-Sword: Two damaging shots are fired, allowing Edward to focus fire on one enemy or spread the damage on two.

Enemies

Advanced enemy archetypes will require a bit more creativity to take down. To kill an elite enemy like a Brute in a chain takedown, you can use the Quick Shot from Edward’s pistol to break their defence and continue your chain. A quick shot from the pistol instantly breaks the guard of any advanced archetype, opening them up for attacks they would otherwise deny.

The new Demolitionist will launch grenades at Edward, and you can use your rope dart to pull an enemy into the AOE.

Stealth

More freedom to stalk your targets:

• Edward can now crouch anywhere, which will make him harder to spot. This can be seen with the visibility meter in the HUD. Don’t want to engage in a battle with a Boar or Jaguar? Sneak up them while crouched and perform an assassination.

• Running straight at an enemy will cause them to hear you, so make sure you are crouched or walking slowly in stealth situations. And if an enemy is alerted by your presence, make sure to take out the Alarm Bells scattered throughout plantations so that they can’t call for backup.

Tools

Edward has a number of tools and methods available for stealth gameplay:

• The Blowpipe has Sleep Darts (which cause an enemy to sleep for a period of time) and Berserk Darts (which causes enemies to attack each other).

• Smoke Bombs can be thrown at enemies or dropped at your feet when Edward is in need of a quick escape.

• The Rope Dart can be used to pull enemies in for an assassination or used to hang enemies from a perch which will serve as a distraction.

Social Stealth

Social stealth returns in Resynced:

• Hiring NPCs. You can hire the Dancers to distract guards and blend in passively while walking the dense urban environments of the Carribean.

• You can blend in crowds of 3 or more to remain unseen. Benches, walls, haystacks, and closets are also classic returning hiding spots.

• Edward will be able to throw money to create chaos and lure guards and citizens to a location.

• Edward will also be able to toggle his hood on and off at any time.

Parkour

Advanced Parkour Returns:

• With Advanced Parkour active (you can toggle in Settings) you can parkour down to trigger more precise side-eject behavior, while parkour up prioritizes heigh gains and upward momentum.

• Manual jump gives you greater control over Edward’s directionality and allowing you to take shortcuts and increase velocity while parkouring.

Manual Jump will offer you more directionality as you scale and traverse Havana’s skyline.

New Ziplines:

• You’ll encounter these brand new Ziplines throughout the Carribean, connecting Edward from high to low ground over a longer distance, and at a much faster pace.

NAVAL IMPROVEMENTS

For more info on the Naval Gameplay of Resynced check out our Deep Dive here.

New Officer Perks

There are 3 new officers for the Jackdaw that you’ll be able to recruit. Each will provide an essential perk for naval combat.

• The Padre: The Ram Dash will deal devastating collision damage and features its own dedicated camera. In the original this move was only unlocked after defeating all Legendary Ships, which happened too late to be of much use during the story. The Padre will also join your boarding party when capturing or looting disabled ships.

• Lucy Baldwin: Perfect Brace will enhance your Brace and almost completely nullify incoming damage – if you time the Brace correctly.

• Tobias “Deadman” Smith: Deadman’s Cohort will give the mortar a secondary firing option that will saturate an area with a huge number of Carcass bombs. You’ll be able to manually control where each projectile will land, devastating an area with sheer volume. You’ll also be able to fire an additional volley from your broadside cannons with a minimal cooldown between salvos, unleashing devastation on the hapless navies you encounter.

Upgrading & Customizing the Jackdaw

You’ll quickly discover that upgrading the Jackdaw will be essential for surviving and thriving as a pirate of the Carribean. To do so, you’ll have to collect loot and there a number of ways to achieve your aims.

• Boarding Enemy Ships: while you can simply choose to destroy enemy ships, this will provide significantly less loot than boarding. Disable an enemy ship through battle and board it to collect the most loot. Capturing a ship will also allow you to send it to Kenway’s Fleet (more on that in a bit), repair your ship, lower your Wanted Level or in the case of larger classes of ships like Man O’ Wars, take the Captain’s Lockbox for even more valuable loot.

• You’ll also be able to find loot through exploration by land and sea. Floating loot will be collectible as you traverse, and make sure to stop by the playas you encounter on your travels. Playas are filled with treasure, especially in underwater chests that you can loot by using the new Dive Anywhere feature, allowing Edward to swim underwater anywhere in the game. Underwater shipwrecks also return, and once you unlock the Diving Bell, you’ll be able to access these shark infested areas to plunder precious treasure.

You’ll also be able to customize the Jackdaw with the cosmetics you earn throughout your adventures.

Kenway’s Fleet

Kenway’s Fleet returns to Resynced and will allow you to assign captured ships to regional missions for passive loot and income. To unlock Kenway’s Fleet in a region, you’ll have to capture that region’s Fort.

Replayable Legendary Ship Battles

The fearsome Legendary Ships return from the original. Defeating them rewards you with unique cosmetics for the Jackdaw, and each will be repayable if you are a masochist who can’t get enough of the challenge.

NEW & EXPANDED CONTENT

For more info on how we expanded on the original Black Flag, check out our Deep Dive here.

The Hideout

The Hideout has been expanded and upgrading it will change and improve life on Great Inagua for both Edward and its residents.

• For example, the General Store will start out as an abandoned shack, run down and disused. Investing a little money, some crafting materials, and some trade goods will result in it being improved up to three times with a clear visual upgrade. You’ll also get access to rare and legendary weapons, decorations, and outfits for Edward.

The Benefits of Upgrading the Hideout:

• General Store (three levels) – unlock rare and legendary weapons, decorations, and outfits

• Tavern – get access to three mini games which Edward can play, and add to the tip jar to increase your chances of finding a Royal Convoy on the open waters

• Harbormaster (three levels) – increase the number and tier of upgrades you can purchase for the Jackdaw

• Brothel – dancers become free to hire and a number of combat and sailing benefits are applied to Edward, the Jackdaw, and its crew

• Campfire – drunk pirates become free to hire and two more slots are added to Edward’s fleet

• Fisherman’s Wharf (New to Resynced) – increase Hideout passive income over time and double effectiveness of skinning hunted animals

• Treasure Dealer (New to Resynced) – unlock exclusive items and a map restoration service, increase Hideout profit over time, and unlock a chance for increased profit on fleet trading missions

• Mansion Façade – increase maximum passive income and a slot in Edward’s fleet

• Tower and Garden - increase maximum passive income and a slot in Edward’s fleet

• Guesthouse - increase maximum passive income and a slot in Edward’s fleet

New Missions & Story Content

Resynced brings new narrative content, allowing us to tie some loose ends for Edward and his friends. Of course, if you want to know more about these new questlines, you’ll have to wait for the release. No spoilers to be found here!

• New Blackbeard & Stede Bonnet Quests

• New Naval Officer Side Missions

• New Endgame Chapter “A World Without Gold”

• Additional Animus Rifts

New and Resynced Content

• All Legacy Outfits are returning

• All 35 original shanties return, plus 10 newly produced ones just for Resynced

• All mini games and activities return from the original

• Yes...You can have a pet on the Jackdaw

Photo Mode

• We’ve added a Photo Mode to Resynced allowing you to capture moments from your journey. We can’t wait to see your creations on Day 1, so be sure to tag us on socials and join our Discord.

TECH

Screenshot captured on Xbox Series S

Screenshot captured on PS5 Pro

The Power of The Anvil Engine

Lighting is one of those things that really sells a world as believable and realistic, and small differences can really stand out when they’re not quite right. The Caribbean of Resynced features a number of different environments, from dense jungles to urban settlements to the open ocean. Each of those requires a different approach to lighting, and Anvil provides the power needed to make that happen. For example, the original game’s lighting was largely static and baked into the environment, while Resynced introduces dynamic raytraced lighting. But raytracing is very intensive and takes a lot of processing power to achieve. Anvil not only allows for raytracing, but it does so in a package that makes it possible on not just high-end hardware, but the lower specs of some consoles and less advanced PCs.

Dynamic Weather

Rogue waves, waterspouts and lightning will all pose a danger to the Jackdaw while you’re navigating the high seas of the Caribbean.

Atmos returns from AC Shadows, a group of systems which simulate extremely complex and realistic weather. Weather will change dynamically throughout the day, ranging from bright and sweltering sunny days, to light wind and rain, to outright hurricane-like conditions.

CUSTOMIZATION

An example of Minimal HUD settings

Giving you control over your experience

While the HUD is fully customizable, there are a few presets you’ll be able to choose to make things easy for you.

• Default – Enables most HUD elements to provide maximum clarity. Ideal if you want clear guidance, button prompts, and combat feedback as you explore the game.

• Simple – A pared‑down HUD that removes some reminders and highlights, while still offering enough feedback to guide you through combat and navigation.

• Minimal – Displays only essential information, such as Edward’s health, interaction prompts, and cannon aiming arcs while aboard the Jackdaw.

• Disabled – Removes nearly all HUD elements for a fully immersion‑focused experience. No prompts, no indicators — just your awareness, timing, and the world itself.

• You can always start with a preset and adjust from there as your comfort level changes.

Granular Customization

Once you get familiar with Resynced’s systems and the timing and feel of gameplay you’ll be able to toggle visual information at will, including Parry VFX & enemy health and defence bars.

Difficulty Settings

You’ll be able to tweak the difficulty settings of the four main pillars of gameplay in Resynced: Combat, Stealth, Naval Combat and Activities.

There are four separate difficulty settings you can tweak to your heart’s desire: combat, naval combat, stealth, and activities. Each is split into three difficulties: Forgiving, Intended, and Hard.

• The Forgiving setting, generally, is for story-focused players or players who have not yet mastered the mechanics of a particular activity.

• Intended is the default and it closely mimics the experience of the original Black Flag, providing a balance between the two other settings and is most suitable for players familiar with action-adventure games.

• Hard is for those who want a challenge and to test themselves against everything the game can throw at them.

Well that’s it for now, we hope you enjoyed reading this, and we can’t wait for you to get your hands on Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, available July 9th.