AC Black Flag Resynced: how to capture a ship for your fleet

Kenway's Fleet becomes accessible from sequence 4, after the mission "That Old Familiar Cove". It sounds simple on paper to capture ships and send them on missions - but if you send anything anywhere, you'll quickly end up with a lopsided fleet and empty chests. Here's how to do things properly and chronologically.

Capturing a ship: the full process

Every naval battle follows the same pattern. Reduce the enemy ship's health bar to zero, then move in close to board it. Once aboard, you must defeat the crew and lower the ship's morale. Once that's done, four options are available to you:

• Lower wanted level - Reduces your "notoriety" level. Only useful if hunter ships are already on your tail.
• Restore health - Repairs the Jackdaw on the spot. Essential when you come out of a tough fight against several enemies at once.
• Plunder the captain's chest - This option doesn't always appear, but when it does, it's often the best choice: money and resources await you as a bonus.
• Add the ship to your fleet - The option you're interested in for growing Kenway's Fleet.

Tip

A small detail that matters: fleet slots are limited early in the game. You'll fill them up fast with just a few captures. So manage each slot carefully.

Accessing the fleet map

Head to the captain's cabin, just below the Jackdaw's helm. The table inside gives you access to the full Kenway's Fleet map - no need for an external mobile app anymore, everything is built directly into the game. Good news for those who knew the original.

Fleet missions aren't available from the start in every region. They unlock only after capturing the corresponding fort. If an area seems locked to you, it's probably because you haven't taken the local fort yet.

What fleet missions give you

This isn't filler. Kenway's Fleet missions generate passive income: money, reduced risk level in the region, revealing of warehouses (Warehouses), and unlocking of various bonuses. Once the mechanic is in place, your fleet works while you explore. Pretty nice, right?

Be careful though: ships often come back damaged from their missions. Before sending them out again, you need to repair them using money and resources. Always keep a comfortable stock on hand, or your fleet will end up docked for no good reason.

Building a balanced fleet

Missions require specific ship types. Cutters, brigs, frigates - each class has its role. If you only keep brigs because that's what you cross paths with most often, you'll get stuck on missions that require a frigate or a ship of the line.

When your fleet is full, you can scrap ships that have become obsolete. For example: two brigs in stock and a frigate to capture? Sacrifice a brig to make room. The Man o' War is the toughest ship you can send on a mission - make it an absolute priority if the opportunity arises.

Upgrading the Jackdaw before aiming big

Don't go up against frigates or Men o' War with an underequipped Jackdaw. Several enemies firing at once is the fastest way to get wrecked before you even manage to board anything. Invest first in hull armor, cannons, and other ship upgrades.

A well-equipped Jackdaw lets you bring big ships to the brink of destruction without accidentally sinking them - and thus recover them in a state fit to be sent on missions rather than reduced to unusable wrecks. That's what real fleet optimization looks like!

" Boarding ships remains the best source of resources. Once captured, they generate passive rewards via Kenway's Fleet - and the repair or notoriety-lowering options can literally save you out at sea. " - r/assassinscreed thread, Black Flag Resynced deep dive discussion