Black Flag Resynced: Fix Jackdaw Bugs & Fast-Farm Metal and Wood (2026 Guide)

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launched July 9, and while Ubisoft Singapore’s remake brings stunning Anvil engine visuals and new content, it also shipped with a frustrating Jackdaw upgrade bug. This guide covers the confirmed launch-window issue and its workaround, then walks you through the fastest metal and wood farming routes and an efficient upgrade order to get your ship raid-ready.

Upgrading the Jackdaw while it is docked may cause it to disappear, leaving Player to continue the quest without it. This is the primary confirmed bug from the July 9 launch window. Unlike the original game where you could upgrade from the Captain’s Cabin at sea, Black Flag Resynced no longer lets you upgrade the Jackdaw directly from the Captain’s Cabin. Instead, you must dock your ship at a port and speak to the Harbourmaster to purchase new upgrades. The disappearing-ship bug triggers when you initiate an upgrade transaction while the Jackdaw is physically docked at a port. Ubisoft has acknowledged the issues the game is suffering from, and has also outlined some of the confirmed fixes dropping as part of the game’s first post-release patch.

Until Ubisoft patches the docked-upgrade bug, the safest method is to avoid upgrading immediately after docking. Open the Harbourmaster menu, review the available upgrades and their costs, then back out without purchasing. Sail away from the port, then return and dock again before opening the upgrade menu a second time. This double-docking approach appears to reset the collision state and prevents the Jackdaw from disappearing. If the bug does trigger and your ship vanishes, reload your most recent manual save—the game autosaves frequently, but manual saves before major upgrades are good practice during the launch window.

The primary sources are enemy ships and plantations. When you defeat and board a ship at sea, you’ll plunder its cargo, which typically includes a mix of all three materials. Plantations scattered across the Caribbean islands can also be raided on foot for wood and cloth in particular. Nearly every ship you come across has a specific amount of cargo. This can range from upgrade materials such as Metal or Wood to trading goods like Spice. You can see what each ship is carrying by using your spyglass while driving the Jackdaw (pressing down on the Right Stick) and moving the cursor over the vessel you want to sack. Always board rather than sink—capture over outright sinking enemy ships you’re pirating. You’ll earn the full amount of resources if you elect to board the vessel and take it over, rather than just sending it to the deep. Sinking a boat will net you way less loot.

The fastest way to stockpile upgrade materials is targeted ship hunting. The Serranilla region sits on the southern edge of the map. In Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the difficulty level increases the further south you sail, meaning the ships down here carry much more cargo. This area is full of high-value targets, specifically Brigs and Frigates. A standard Brig usually carries around 60 units of metal, while a Frigate can hold anywhere from 90 to 110 units in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. For players with heavily upgraded ships, a standard four-star warship like the HMS Invincible or the HMS Dragon carries between 150 and 180 units of metal in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. Do not waste your time fighting five-star warships for resources; they are much tougher to destroy and often carry less metal than four-star variants.

Pirate Hunter ships are another decent method and will tie in nicely to our main farming method of capturing ships. As your wanted level increases, more dangerous ships will begin stalking you. The higher-tier Hunter ships often have quite a lot of resources, which can make capturing them a nice way to get a lot of Metal. Raiding plantations and opening warehouses gives you a solid supply of resources: wood, metal, cloth, rum, or sugar. If you are spotted and the alarm is raised, some warehouse resources may be moved out, reducing the reward.

The remake preserves the original’s core resource economy but tweaks the flow to match modern pacing. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced keeps the spirit of the original pirate adventure, but because of the updated Anvil engine, reworked combat system, and balance changes, the early economy may feel a little different. In the original game, you could sink almost anything that moved without thinking too much. In Resynced, naval battles are more spectacular and less forgiving of mistakes. Combat is more deliberate—targeted shots at weak points help disable ships faster. Do not waste cannonballs: tear down sails with chain shot, move in from the stern, and methodically fire into the broadside. The higher difficulty floor means early-game players should stick to the central Caribbean near Nassau and hunt lone Schooners and Brigs before pushing south to Serranilla for the big-cargo Frigates. If you’re interested in maximizing your naval income beyond materials, check out our guide on how to get Reales fast in AC Black Flag Resynced.

Myth: Sinking Ships Gives the Same Loot as Boarding

A ship carrying 180 metal will only drop 90 units if it sinks in open water. Boarding is mandatory for full cargo. Sinking is faster but cuts your material income in half, making it viable only when fighting multiple ships or when severely damaged and unable to board safely.

Myth: You Should Max Mortar Before Hull and Cannons

Mortar is flashy and unlocks in Sequence 3, but early-tier mortar upgrades cost significant metal for marginal damage gains. Hull Armor directly compounds your farming efficiency. Mortar is where you start spending after the hull and cannons are in decent shape. Not because mortar is unimportant, it absolutely is, but because early mortar upgrades give you less return than an equivalent metal investment in armor. Focus hull and broadside cannons first to survive longer hunts and kill targets faster.

Myth: Kenway’s Fleet Is the Fastest Way to Farm Materials

Kenway’s Fleet can sometimes reward Metal for completing Piracy missions, but the amount is fairly minuscule and often not the most reliable way to get a lot of it. I wouldn’t recommend this method as your main source. Kenway’s Fleet is best for passive Reales income while you hunt actively. Brigs in Kenway’s Fleet bring back materials passively. Use it as a supplement, not your primary farm.

The Jackdaw features upgrades across Ship, Weapons, Storage, and Harpooning categories. Most upgrades require Reales along with crafting materials like Metal, Wood, or Cloth. Ultimate upgrades require special Ultimate Plans in addition to their normal materials. After fully upgrading the Jackdaw, which means applying all the upgrades in all the categories, you’ll pop up the “Ship This” trophy/achievement. Fully upgraded, the Jackdaw can tackle legendary ships, five-star Man o’ Wars, and the toughest forts without breaking a sweat. Upgrading the Harbourmaster at Great Inagua unlocks higher-tier ship parts. Because of this, you should continue improving the Harbourmaster whenever new upgrades become available.

The remaster adds new officer quests that grant unique ship abilities. To acquire this weapon, you’ll need to complete the late game story arc, A World Without Gold. The first quest of this arc is “That Bastard Maynard” you get after completing the main story quest “…Everything is Permitted”. This is an entirely new story arc that was not in the original and will also get you a third officer that adds a second volley of shots to your broadside cannons. It’s worth playing for the story, perk, and new mortar. For a full breakdown of the new content, see our Animus Projects guide.