Blackbeard's Treasure in AC Black Flag Resynced: Where to Find It?

The "Blackbeard's Treasure" quest is brand-new content in the remake, absent from the 2013 original. It unlocks automatically after sequence 08. The route is fairly short, but the two explosive barrel puzzles in the cave trip up quite a few players. Here's everything you need to do, in order.

Unlock: what you get after sequence 08

At the end of sequence 08, a series of cutscenes plays out. Edward Kenway ends up alone on a beach and searches through the hat left behind by Blackbeard. Two items drop into your inventory:

• Burn Blackbeard's Beard - a sea shanty your crew can sing aboard the Jackdaw.
• Blackbeard's Treasure Map - a crude drawing with an "X" north of Kingston and a second "X" in a cave filled with barrels.

The map points directly to Anotto Bay. Set your course there.

Anotto Bay: coordinates and naval combat

Coordinates: 591, 243. As soon as you approach, several smuggler ships come after you. They won't wait for you to talk it out - break out the Jackdaw's cannons and settle this quickly. No subtlety required here, and sneaking around by boat doesn't work too well...

Diving down to the cave

Once the ships are sunk, look for the wreck of a diving bell on the surface. That's your entry point. Underwater, the mine tunnel is guarded by two types of dangers:

• Jellyfish: they deal damage on contact. Steer around them, no need to fight them.
• Shark: a dodge QTE triggers. Press the dodge button and tilt the left stick to the side to avoid the attack.

Tip

Bubbles rise up in certain spots in the tunnel - these are air pockets. Take a quick breath there to refill Edward's oxygen if you're running low.

The smugglers' hideout

You now surface into a cave occupied by half a dozen pirates. Clear the room however you like - stealthy or all-out, the game doesn't force anything on you at this stage.

You'll then notice a large chest in the room. Don't try to open it now: the smuggler's key needed to open it isn't carried by any NPC during the quest. You'll need to come back in free roam to farm it. This chest contains a map fragment that can be deciphered at the treasure merchant in Great Inagua - it's worth the detour, but that'll be for a later session.

The two explosive barrel puzzles

This is where things get tricky. Progress hinges on blowing up two walls, in two successive caves. The mechanic is identical for each:

1. Spot the red barrels in the room.
2. Carry a barrel to the collapsed wall section or the wall blocking the passage.
3. Set it down, back away, and shoot it with your pistol from a reasonable distance.
4. The explosion will open up a new passage.
5. First cave: the collapsed wall hides more enemies. Take them out once the passage is open.
6. Second cave: a pool of water sits in the center. The wall to destroy is at the back of the room. This is where the closing cutscene triggers.

What's in the chest

Let's be straightforward: Blackbeard didn't stash gold coins or gems. The chest holds tools and supplies meant for rebuilding your town of Great Inagua. There's also a letter from the pirate explaining his intentions - a bold narrative choice that's divisive, but fits the character well.

As for concrete rewards, you walk away with Blackbeard's Portrait, which you can hang in your manor after a short cutscene indicating that a two-month time skip has just occurred.

" Resynced's new treasure hunts are definitely more convoluted than in the original, but Blackbeard's is at least super thematic and well staged." - Anonymous player, r/assassinscreed

The quest is short: expect 20 to 30 minutes if you take your time, but it neatly closes out Edward Thatch's narrative arc. And if you want to keep hunting for treasure in the Caribbean, Treasure Maps and Mayan Stelae are your next steps.