Once the Jackdaw becomes yours in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the upgrade board fills up fast, and everything wants Reales and materials you don’t have yet. Spreading that money thin is the mistake. The smart move early on is to pour resources into a short list of upgrades that make naval combat faster, keep you alive, and speed up the farming loop that pays for everything else.
Quick answer: Prioritize the Jackdaw’s Hull, Broadside Cannons, and Round/Heated Shot upgrades first, then add Heavy Shot, Mortar, and Ram. For Edward, craft Pistol Holster II, the Health Upgrade, and the Pistol Ammo Pouch before anything else.
Best early Jackdaw upgrades to buy first
The ship matters more than Edward’s personal gear in the opening hours. Naval battles are tougher than the sneaking sections, and the right equipment can flatten fights that would otherwise wear you down. Three upgrades carry the most weight right away.
- Hull (Armored Hull): raises the Jackdaw’s health and armor so you take less damage and survive assaults from stronger ships.
- Broadside Cannons: increases the number of cannons that fire in a volley, so each broadside puts out more shots.
- Round and Heated Shot: boosts broadside damage. Buying the Round Shot upgrade also improves Heated Shot, so a single purchase strengthens both.
The logic is straightforward. More cannons plus stronger shots means you sink enemy ships faster, while a tougher hull lets you stand in a fight long enough to finish it. Together they turn drawn-out battles into short ones.
After those three, fill out your naval arsenal with a few more targeted picks. Heavy Shot is a heavy close-range hit that fires without aiming, which makes it deadly right after a ram or when you close the gap. Mortar rains fire from long range in salvos, and Ram is cheap enough to grab quickly for extra collision damage before you swing around for a broadside.
| Upgrade | What it does | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hull / Armored Hull | Raises health and armor, cuts incoming damage | Reales + materials |
| Broadside Cannons | More cannons firing per volley | Reales + materials |
| Round Shot Strength | More broadside damage (also upgrades Heated Shot) | 900 Reales |
| Heavy Shot Strength | Powerful close-range shot, fired without aiming | 900 Reales |
| Mortar | Long-range fiery salvos | 800 Reales |
| Ram | Collision damage before a broadside | 500 Reales, 25 Wood |
Note: Higher upgrade tiers stay locked until you enhance the Harbourmaster at Great Inagua. Getting your damage and hull up first makes farming smoother, which lets you fund that Harbourmaster investment and the non-essential upgrades sooner.
Best early Edward upgrades and their materials
Edward’s early upgrades are about staying alive and being ready when stealth falls apart. None of these need rare ingredients, so you can craft them without hunting down frustrating materials. Three are worth doing first.
| Upgrade | Benefit | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Pistol Holster II | Carry an extra pistol for quick multi-target shots | Rabbit Pelt x2 |
| Health Upgrade | More health, so you rely on healing items less | Iguana Leather x2 |
| Pistol Ammo Pouch | Holds 10 extra pistol rounds | Wild Pig Hide x2 |
Pistol Holster II is the standout. An extra pistol gives you a second shot when a plan goes loud, letting you draw on a target instead of scrambling. The Health Upgrade pairs naturally with it, since more health means surviving the open fights you get pulled into when stealth slips. The Pistol Ammo Pouch keeps you topped up so you’re never out of bullets mid-encounter.
Sleep Dart is genuinely useful for putting guards to sleep, but it can wait. Lock in the holster, health, and ammo first, then circle back for the rest.
How to confirm the upgrades applied
Jackdaw upgrades are purchased through the Harbourmaster menu, where each item shows its tier (for example, Armored Hull II) and its cost in Reales and materials. Once you can afford an upgrade, it stops being greyed out, and buying it deducts the resources and moves the tier forward on the board. Edward’s gear works the same way through crafting, consuming the listed materials the moment you make it.
If an upgrade you want is still locked, it usually needs a higher Harbourmaster level at Great Inagua before it becomes available. Building your damage, cannon count, and hull first is what makes that upgrade path affordable, so the early spending pays off across the whole voyage.
