It’s also worth noting the wording used – “copies sold,” as opposed to “players.” The latter could include those who experienced it through Ubisoft+, so while Shadows topped two million players in two days, Resynced is seemingly ahead based on sales figures alone. Of course, it’s also available on the subscription service, meaning the actual player count may be significantly higher.

The release isn’t without controversy, however. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launched with eight DLC packs, each retailing for $10. The Master Assassin Character and Naval Packs are included with the Deluxe Edition, but the others are only available separately. While this resulted in significant backlash from some fans, Ubisoft responded that they were strictly optional and offered no gameplay advantages. As such, the rating on Steam has improved from “Mixed” to “Mostly Positive.”

For more details on Resynced, check out our review. We gave it a 9 out of 10, praising the combat, world design, and visual overhaul while criticizing the stealth and some minor technical issues.

This Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag Resynced guide has everything you need to know in order to grind out those Reales, whether hands-off or through hard work.

Farming Frigates

You can take advantage of open-world dynamics where NPC Spanish and English Frigates battle each other south of Great Inagua, allowing you to pick off the survivors for easy loot. Since Frigates are a worthy opponent, they also offer up worthy spoils, which in this case is a Captain’s Lockbox filled with both Reales and valuable trade goods. Frigates are medium-class as far as naval opponents go, and you should have a fairly easy time shredding them in their weakened state.

Once you are done, simply travel back and forth in the general vicinity of this area, and the group will spawn over and over for your grinding benefit.

Naval Contracting And Convoys

In the early game, when your ship is still relatively weak, begin by accepting every Naval Contract you can find. This will take you around the map, allowing you to simultaneously complete the other initial step, of unlocking every Tavern. Do this by chatting up the tavern keeper and completing the task.

Talk to the keeper again to buy tips for a hundred Reales each, which are about naval convoys of merchant vessels, thus marking their location on the map. Then use the nearest Harbour or Viewpoint to Fast Travel practically right on top of them, and make quick work of the light escort vessels by sinking them outright. Spare the lead flagship however, as it has the loot you need. Successfully board it to acquire the Captain’s Lockbox and its supplies.

You can make a case-by-case determination of the value of keeping some of the escort ships alive long enough to board them for their goods, but only if you think you can avoid being mobbed by the entire convoy.

The Naval Contracts you have been accepting will inevitably be cleared while farming these convoys, so you can turn them in as well for a nice bonus, before buying even more tracking tips from the Taverns.

Trinkets

The ship models that you collect as loot after successfully boarding ships eventually end up on display at your Manor. In combination with art collected through side quests, this will at some point net you the Rare Trinket ‘Found Coin’ which gives you a bonus to Reales every time you loot some.

The ‘Lodestone’ Rare Trinket can be used in conjunction with that to smoothen the entire looting experience, since it loots Corpses and Curios automatically. Get it by upgrading the General Store and then purchasing it for the sum of 7,000 Reales.

Hideout Passive Profit

The Hideout can be upgraded over time, and the Manor itself can build a Facade upgrade. Constructing it will unlock the Money Box inside the Manor, where Protection Money will be automatically deposited for you to collect from time to time.

Be sure to upgrade the Fisherman’s Wharf and the Treasure Dealer, in order to boost that passive income from your Hideout. While the investment of 5,000 Reales for each is significant, you will definitely see it pay dividends over time.

While this is technically passive, you do have the mechanical inconvenience of having to visit the Money Box manually every single time in order to collect that amassed Protection Money. Additionally, it has a cap on how much it can hold, after which it will just stop filling. You can mitigate that at least, by raising the cap for an outlay of Reales towards building the Tower and Garden, as well as the Guesthouse upgrades at the Manor.

All in all, once you have sunk a significant investment in infrastructure, the returns will eventually pay them off and then some, in the long run.

Those are some of the best ways to both actively and passively profit in the thousands of Reales quickly and efficiently in Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag Resynced.

This Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag Resynced guide is a listing of all the Crafting Upgrades and their requirements.

Unlocking And Accessing Crafting

Crafting is locked behind mission completion, so work your way through the initial portion of the game until you have finished the eighth mission titled “This Tyro Captain” which marks the start of Sequence 3.

The menu itself is accessible by going to your inventory and selecting the hammer and anvil icon on the left.

Holster Upgrades

Pistol Holster I

2x Ocelot Pelt found at Abaco Island, and Cumberland Bay

Edward can now carry an additional pistol at his side.

Pistol Holster II

2x Rabbit Pelt found at Kingston, Nassau, Corozal, and Sacrifice Island

Edward can carry a third pistol on him.

Pistol Holster III

4x Bull Shark Skin found in the waters of Gibara, of Dry Tortuga, and of Punta Guarico on Harpoon Hunts

Edward can carry the maximum of four pistols at a time.

Pistol Ammo Pouch Upgrades

Pistol Ammo Pouch I

2x Capuchin Monkey Pelt found at New Bone, and Misteriosia

Edward can now carry the maximum of thirty rounds of pistol ammo at once.

Health Upgrades

Health Upgrade

2x Iguana Leather found at Andreas Island, Abaco Island, and Great Inagua

This protective gear increases Edward’s maximum health by 25.

Health Upgrade I

4x Hammerhead Shark Bone found in the waters of Gibara, and of Eleuthera on Harpoon Hunts

This protective gear increases Edward’s base health by 25%.

Health Upgrade II

4x Jaguar Pelt found at Tulum, Cape Bonavista, Long Bay, Sacrifice Island, and Principe

This protective gear increases Edward’s base health by a further 25%.

Health Upgrade III

4x Great White Shark Bone found in the waters of Cruz, and of Serranilla on Harpoon Hunts

This protective gear increases Edward’s base health by a final 25%.

Smoke Bomb Pouch Upgrades

Smoke Bomb Pouch

2x Iguana Leather found at Andreas Island, Abaco Island, and Great Inagua

Edward can now carry an additional Smoke Bomb.

Smoke Bomb Pouch I

2x Hutia Hide found at Jiguey, Cayman Sound, Long Bay, and Petite Caverne

Edward can now carry the maximum of five Smoke Bombs at once.

Dart Pouch Upgrades

Dart Pouch

2x Howler Monkey Skin found at Tulum, Tortuga, Principe, Cape Bonavista, Kingston, Long Bay, and Cat Island

Increase the carry capacity of the dart pouch by three.

Dart Pouch I

3x Red Howler Monkey Skin found at Isla Providencia

Increase the carry capacity of the dart pouch by another three.

Sleep Dart Upgrades

Sleep Dart

2x Crocodile Leather found at Tulum, Nassau, Long Bay, Matanzas, and Isla Providencia

Lengthens the duration of the sleep darts’ effects by 25 seconds.

Sleep Dart I

4x Killer Whale Skin found in the waters of Conttoyor and of Cruz on Harpoon Hunts

Lengthens the duration of the sleep darts’ effects by another 25 seconds.

Berserk Dart Upgrades

Berserk Dart

2x Deer Hide found at Principe, Salt Lagoon, Santanillas, and Kingston

Lengthens the duration of the berserk darts’ effects by 15 seconds.

Berserk Dart I

4x Humpback Whale Skin found in the waters of Navassa, and of Castillo de Jagua on Harpoon Hunts

Lengthens the duration of the berserk darts’ effects by another 15 seconds.

Upgrade Resource Grinding Tips

It can be tedious having to source most of these materials, with the rare ones being next to impossible to stumble upon naturally. You can take the pressure off of yourself, by simply grinding for solely Reales instead, and using that to upgrade the General Store and then buying the resources directly from it in trade.

That is everything there is to know about upgrading all 17 of the inventory Crafting nodes in Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag Resynced.

While two of these – the Master Assassin Character and Naval Packs – are included in the Deluxe Edition, you have to purchase the other six (alongside the Map Pack) separately. Given that the latter comes to around $65 for those who already spent $70 (or $85 for those who bought the Standard Edition), it doesn’t leave the best taste.

Multiple users called this out, but one review in particular received hundreds of awards and likes. “Come on Ubisoft, you just couldn’t hold yourself, huh?! Releasing a €70 game and on the DAY of the release you slap us with €85 worth of DLC packs that are just not cosmetic but give you a gameplay advantage!”

Surprisingly, Ubisoft responded to this. “We’ve seen your feedback since launch, and we’re reading all of it. Thank you for caring this much about Black Flag Resynced. We want to be clear on one point: the Standard Edition is the full, complete experience.

“Every mission, every island, the full story and the complete world are all there, with nothing held back. The additional packs are entirely optional extras for players who want them, never a requirement to enjoy or complete the game. We’ll keep listening as you play!”

While technically correct, it still doesn’t help the publisher’s overall image, especially for the remake of a 2013 title that’s commanding triple-A prices. The fact that it added the packs at launch and didn’t reveal them beforehand doesn’t help either. Of course, given the number of studios that have worked on Resynced, Ubisoft probably feels that it’s justified (and it’s not technically wrong – these are optional).

We’ll see which side the commercial response falls on in the coming months, but per estimates, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is off to a strong start. It reportedly sold over 300,000 copies on Steam before launch, generating nearly $14 million in revenue. Ubisoft has yet to comment on sales, so stay tuned for updates in the meantime.

However, the player response isn’t the most positive at the moment. Resynced currently has a “Mixed” rating, with only 45 percent of its 1067 user reviews recommending it. Among the complaints are additional microtransactions for packs not included in the Deluxe Edition, which carry their own gear and cosmetics; cutscenes capped at 30 frames per second; the new menus which feel less comfortable to navigate; and so on.

While some of these come down to preference – the remake does make sweeping changes in terms of removing modern-day Animus segments and overhauling the combat – it’s hard to disagree with the microtransactions. There are three additional Character Packs and three additional Naval Packs separate from the Deluxe Edition, each costing $10. That’s not even including the $5 Map Pack.

Which is a shame because, given the number of studios that have worked on the title and its positive reviews (check out ours here), you would think Ubisoft would want to avoid the bad publicity. We’ll see if any changes arrive down the line, so stay tuned for updates.

However, the eagle-eyed among you will likely have noticed that it’s actually a remake of the “Horizon” trailer from E3 2013. A favorite among fans, it showcases a pretty montage of Edward Kenway’s life in the Caribbean, from sailing and enjoying the breeze to fighting (and slaying) soldiers at night.

From naval battles in bad weather to a Diving Bell expedition underwater, leading back to another moment of peace as he walks the shore, Edward’s life may very well have come full circle with the remake. And once again, he’s setting sail for the horizon.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC – check out our review here, where we gave it a nine out of ten, alongside a graphical analysis and some tips to get you started. While it’s a faithful remake of the 2013 classic, much like this launch trailer, it offers new content, including eight new end-game missions and revamped combat and parkour.

Advanced Parkour

As smooth as parkour can feel in Resynced, especially with all the modern upgrades, long-time fans will want more control and precision. So head into the Settings and turn on Advanced Parkour. Suddenly, the whole world opens up in terms of parkour opportunities, whether it’s side ejects and back ejects from differing heights, the ability to Parkour Up and Down, and even a Manual Jump. Mastering all this – and the environment – is key to traversal, but it feels so satisfying.

Look and Observe

Eagle Vision returns and still serves the same function as in the original – namely, highlighting enemies, making it easier to track and assassinate them when the situation calls for it. However, Kenway has picked up some new tricks, including the new Observe function from Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Besides tagging enemies, it also highlights different clues and objectives, making it that much easier to get the job done (while also assassinating every jobber in your path).

Disable Alarm Bells

With the number of different stealth, mobility and combat tools available – give it up for the ability to crouch anywhere – it’s always important to remember the basics. Areas like plantations have alarm bells to alert each other when things go wrong, so it’s always ideal to disable them beforehand, thus stopping some random from escalating an already dicey situation.

Fights in Tight Spaces

Parries, takedowns, stagger bars – all that is well and good, but sometimes, you just want to toss some fool. As much as the environment is key for parkour, it’s devastating during combat. For example, an enemy kicked into a wall is subject to a quick takedown. Explosions and sweeps can ground foes before some tactical stabbing. If you’re on a ledge, kick an enemy off and let gravity do the rest, and when outnumbered, funnel them through pathways for those ideal Chain Assassinations.

The Rope Dart

The Rope Dart is a versatile weapon that became available in Sequence 11 of the original – a pretty late time. However, Resynced mixes things up by introducing it in Sequence 3. Why is this important? Because it introduces several ways to open enemies up to attacks, not to mention interrupting them and even pulling any gunmen off high ground. It also allows for distractions, like suspending foes to attract their friends while you sneak by.

The Spyglass

If there’s one thing to take away from sailing the high seas, it’s that you don’t need to attack every single ship. Is it fun? Absolutely, but if you’re seeking out specific upgrades, it’s better ot use the Spyglass. This helpfully marks the different materials each ship is carrying, thus letting you speed up the Jackdaw’s progression.

Always Be Boarding

Fighting other ships and rogue waves while priority targets hound you can make it difficult to board every single vessel. But when the opportunity is available, it’s always worthwhile, since you’ll receive double the rewards. Just make sure to take out the Scouts first to commandeer their muskets and use smoke bombs to take out heavy foes, especially later in the game.

Reach Great Inagua First

We get it – the Caribbean is beautiful, and there’s no shortage of places to explore or side content to take on. But at least hold your horses until you reach Great Inagua and unlock the Hideout later in the story. Not only does it provide access to managing the overhauled fleet, side missions and buildings that can increase maximum passive income and unlock additional slots for said fleet, but you can also take advantage of new facilities like the Treasure Dealer and Fisherman’s Wharf.

Don’t Ignore Templar Hunts

Of course, there’s also that ominous-looking door in the Hideout with a hanging skeleton, which requires multiple keys to unlock. These require completing Templar Hunts, and while they’re a returning activity, there have been a few changes (including better incorporation with the plot). Regardless, it’s worth pursuing each key because they unlock the Templar Armor, granting increased resistance to enemy attacks and more survivability in the process.

New Animus Rifts

For many, Black Flag is as much about the characters – like Blackbeard, James Kidd, and even Kenway himself – as the world, so being able to learn more about them is always a nice touch. And you can do just that courtesy of the new Animus Rifts. There are four, which are completely optional, but they might provide some much-needed narrative closure.

Improving the Jackdaw

As much as plundering other ships will grant resources for upgrading the Jackdaw, you’ll need to partake in several different activities to improve it further. For example, the Heated Shot becomes available after completing the mission “Proper Defenses.” But if you want Heavy Shot and Mortar Bombs, they unlock from the Quartermaster. In the same vein, seizing forts Charlotte and Dry Tortuga can provide Double Shot and Shrapnel. Sample a bit of everything across the Caribbean – it could lead to huge gains.

More Valuable Forts

But if you’re really looking for a priority activity above everything else, it really helps to capture Forts. Besides the above unlocks and usual rewards, they’ll reveal more points of interest across the region, thus highlighting more details. You can also unlock more missions for Kenway’s Fleet, which means even more lucrative opportunities.

Recruit the New Naval Officers

New to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced are the three Officers – Lucy Baldwin, The Padre, and Tobias “Deadman” Smith – who can join your crew and add new abilities. Lucy’s Perfect Brace further reduces damage taken with the right timing; The Padre’s Ram Dash allows for higher speed ramming; and Deadman lets your broadside weapons unleash another volley in aimed mode. Best of all, they can be recruited without needing to completely wrap up their respective quests (though it doesn’t hurt since you’ll learn more about them).

Dive Anywhere Often

The Diving Bell is still available for some of the existing wrecks, but Resynced now lets you dive anywhere. And while your first thought may be to explore anywhere and everywhere for sunken treasure chests, it also opens up new opportunities for stealth. Instead of sneaking around guards or trying to find the best route to reach a ship as Edward, try diving and getting the drop on them by sea. They won’t see it coming (pun intended).

Customizing the Difficulty

Last but not least, there are three difficulty settings – Forgiving, which is for those who only care about the story; Intended, which is as close as you’re going to get to the original; and Hard, a step up and a real challenge for the legendary seafarers among ye. However, Resynced lets you separately adjust these for combat, stealth, activities and naval combat. Don’t feel like getting bogged down against other ships? Want to push your fighting skills to the limit? Tweak everything to your heart’s content.

Close to a decade and a half later, the developer is bringing the modern classic back with Black Flag Resynced– and unsurprisingly, it’s another successful voyage, and another great reminder of how good the classic Assassin’s Creed formula could be when it was at its best.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is, of course, not the most comprehensive remake you’ll see, but it does make some notable changes nonetheless. One of the more notable ones is on the narrative front, with the entire present day Abstergo storyline from the original being cut out from the remake, and the focus instead being completely and exclusively on Edward Kenway’s story this time around.

"Black Flag’s spectacular naval gameplay was what endeared it to the masses more than a decade ago, and it has aged incredibly."

Assassin’s Creed’s present-day storylines have always been divisive at best, and Black Flag’s in particular is definitely one of its weakest, so there will be many who will be relieved at its absence here. Resynced stitches its story together effectively, to the extent that at times it’s even easy to forget that the original even had present-day sections.

That story also remains as engaging as it was back in 2013. Black Flag’s Templars vs Assassins tale is one of the best stories the Assassin’s Creed franchise has told to date, thanks in large part to its pirate trappings, and none of that has lost its luster with Resynced. The cast of characters here is still is charming as ever, thanks to excellent performances and tight writing, with Edward in particular, of course, stealing the show. With some story changes and additions here and there, including new late-game scenes and slightly expanded arcs for some of the key players, Black Flag Resynced definitely does justice to the original’s story.

But of course, the real star of the show here isn’t the story. Black Flag’s spectacular naval gameplay was what endeared it to the masses more than a decade ago, and it has aged incredibly. Getting behind the Jackdaw’s wheel and taking to the seas is still exactly as riotously fun as it ever was, made even better now with a number of smart tweaks that allow the gameplay to shine through better than ever. Whether you’re grabbing a strong wind and sailing at breakneck speeds or blasting enemy ships into smithereens with all of the Jackdaw’s might, Black Flag Resynced’s naval gameplay never loses its charm.

The Jackdaw gains several new secondary-fire options that significantly broaden naval combat. Broadsides now get Heated Shots, a rapid-fire secondary attack, while Chain Shots gain Double Shot for a stronger forward assault. Naval exploration also remains consistently engaging, with plenty to do and see as you explore the Caribbean (with Resynced also adding some new locations and overhauling others to make them feel more alive and populated).

"Perfect Parries can lead into lethal chain takedowns, while Heavy Strikes act as wide-hitbox combo finishers for the Cutlass, and Pistol-sword."

The naval sections are also when Black Flag Resynced looks its best from a graphics standpoint. It’s difficult to think of many games that have better looking water than what’s on display here. Just like the original, Resynced has a knack for taking your breath away when you’re out on the high seas in particular. From dangerous storms and vicious waves to calm and peaceful horizons, the game keeps finding ways to flex its creative and technical muscles in the most impressive fashion.

Of course, given how good the original Black Flag still looks thirteen years on from its release, it’s easy to not realize just how much of a jump Resynced is from a visuals perspective- but it is decidedly a jump. There are some visual glitches here, like flickering shadows, clipped assets, and slow-loading textures, but by and large, the game looks excellent.

Beyond the naval gameplay, there’s still plenty to love here. The classic Assassin’s Creed formula could certainly get a little long in the tooth from time to time, but Black Flag was easily one of its peaks, and Resynced firmly reaffirms that notion. More than any other area of the gameplay, it’s probably the combat that has received the biggest facelift- and what a facelift it is.

In terms of how it flows, Resynced’s combat very much retains the moment to moment feel of the original, but with a much larger focus on parries, it feels much more tactile and satisfying. Some changes are not for the better – such as no longer being able to pick up fallen foes’ weapons – but by and large, combat tends to be a lot of fun.

But there is some good stuff. Perfect Parries can lead into lethal chain takedowns, while Heavy Strikes act as wide-hitbox combo finishers for the Cutlass, and Pistol-sword. Breaking an enemy’s defense can now open them to a fatal Hidden Blade Takedown, while Kicks and Sweeps let Edward slam foes into walls or knock them down for follow-up executions.

"Resynced takes the parkour mechanics of the original Black Flag and supercharges them with improvements introduced in Shadows."

Sneaking around during stealth sections also feels better than it did in the original. A number of small changes and additions come together here, from the ability to manually crouch whenever you want to taking cover, being able to use some new tools, eavesdrop on enemies to gain new tidbits of info, and more.

It is, of course, still easy as ever to cheese your way through stealth sections, but the game mostly makes up for that lack of challenge with just how fun it always is to stick to the shadows and quietly dispatch foes. Meanwhile, Resynced also wisely removes the vast majority of its insta-fail sections, which means you can organically move from stealth to combat and back, making for huge improvements in the flow of the gameplay.

Then, of course, there is the parkour- which is probably some of the best we’ve seen from Assassin’s Creed in a while. Resynced takes the parkour mechanics of the original Black Flag and supercharges them with improvements introduced in Shadows (with several of its own added on top), and the results are fantastic. Moving Edward through the world feels like a dream, thanks to fluid movements and fantastic animations, while the world itself also sports excellent design meant to encourage parkour consistently. Simply moving from point to point is a total joy in Black Flag Resynced.

Shadows’ Observe mechanic also finds its way into this remake. Though you can, of course, use Edward’s classic Eagle Vision whenever you want, you can also use the left trigger to observe the world and marks points of interest, loot, enemies, and more on your screen. Just like in Shadows, the Observe mechanic feels exploration feel much more organic than it would have been if you’d just been setting markers on your map- which, of course, is how it usually went in the original Black Flag.

"Besides the main missions, Resycned also features a healthy amount of new side quests along with activities based on Naval Officers and Templar Hunts."

I often found the game creating small emergent moments, such as overhearing two guards whose conversation pointed me toward a hidden item or revealed an extra detail about the quest at hand. Encounters like these made several missions feel more organic and reactive than they did in the original.

Besides the main missions, Resycned also features a healthy amount of new side quests along with activities based on Naval Officers and Templar Hunts. Lucy, the Padre, and Deadman make the Officer questlines genuinely worthwhile, eventually unlocking various new abilities. Those rewards noticeably broaden naval combat, so recruiting them feels tied to real progression rather than optional busywork.

The reworked Templar Hunts are just as satisfying, building across multi-step pursuits that ultimately earn the five keys needed to open the locked gate at Great Inagua. That clear payoff gives both quest types a strong sense of purpose and makes them some of the remake’s most rewarding side content.

From a progression perspective, the Jackdaw feels especially rewarding because its arsenal expands naturally through story milestones, upgrades, fort captures, and the above mentioned optional Officer questlines. Early tools like Round Shot, Chain Shot, Fire Barrels, and the Swivel Gun establish a strong foundation, while later unlocks steadily make naval battles more versatile.

"Both for fans of the original or for those looking to dive in for the first time, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is an easy game to recommend."

There is a satisfying sense of discovery in earning abilities such as Double Shot and Shrapnel by taking down specific forts rather than simply purchasing everything outright. It creates a progression loop that feels varied, rewarding, and far more engaging than a straightforward linear upgrade path.

It’s fair to say that the original Assassin’s Creed 4, thirteen years on from launch, has aged incredibly, to the point that many would argue that it is still far from actually needing a remake. But though Resynced might not be needed, it definitely justifies its existence thanks to how good of a game it is, plain and simple.

It’s not the most comprehensive remake you’ll ever play, but thanks to a number of smart changes and improvements – some small, others less so – it delivers a fantastic experience, once again establishing Black Flag as the king of the high seas. Both for fans of the original or for those looking to dive in for the first time, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is an easy game to recommend.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

That’s thanks to the ability to dive anywhere in the world. But it won’t just be a handful, teased technical director Jussi Markkanen to GamesRadar. “We still have those diving bell locations, but in addition, you can dive anywhere in the world now. We took the feature, obviously it’s been in Assassin’s Creed since Origins, that you can dive anywhere, and we utilize that, and we built all the underwater locations; there are a lot of new shipwrecks that you can find near the shorelines.”

There are various playas to discover with loot hidden in chests (and sharks who are none too happy to see you). However, it seems there will be “little secrets” which provide “one more dimension for the player to explore.” What could that mean? Will it tie into the greater purpose of Edward Kenway and his illustrious pirate company in some way? Regardless, if you’re planning to spend a lot of time diving anywhere, it seems you’ll be handsomely rewarded.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on July 9th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Besides the new officers, end-game content, and so on, you can also look forward to a heavily expanded Hideout with multiple upgrades. It even has new facilities like Fisherman’s Wharf and the Treasure Dealer, which increase Hideout profits and passive income while offering unique benefits (like exclusive items).

Pre-loading is already available for Xbox Series X/S players. PC and PS5 players can start on July 7th at 2 PM UTC and 12 AM local time, respectively. Regardless of your platform, there should be plenty of time to pre-load before next week’s worldwide launch.

If you’ve been living (or gaming) under a rock, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a remake of the 2013 open-world classic. As Edward Kenway, a pirate who inadvertently joins the Brotherhood of Assassins, you venture across the lawless Caribbean Sea, seeking to make a fortune. Iconic characters like Blackbeard and Captain Kidd join you, though it’s not long before things take a tragic turn.

Resynced rebuilds the experience from the ground up courtesy of the latest version of Anvil Engine. It sports remade visuals, a new combat system that focuses more on parrying and fluid action, improved parkour, and overhauled environments (like Havana) with extensive details. Check out our feature for all the biggest differences.