Best Early Items to Grab First in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced gives you several powerful early pickups before the grind really starts. The smartest route is to grab the economy trinkets first, then build your ship damage, then clean up the style and weapon rewards that let you keep good perks without giving up the pirate look.

Early item priority table

This route starts with money and materials, because every fight, hunt, and ocean pickup gets better once the right trinket is equipped. The optional items are worth grabbing when they sit on the same sailing loop, but the Havana trinkets and early ship upgrades do the heaviest lifting.

Best pickup order for early momentum

Start in Havana with Exotic Sea Shells and Folded Palm. Exotic Sea Shells speeds animal material gains, while Folded Palm turns normal guard takedowns into steady gold, so you are earning before you start deliberately farming.

After that, sail for Anchor Medallion on Sacrifice Island, then move into ship power: Ram Dash, the upgraded ram, and the mortar storage and strength upgrades. Once your economy and naval damage are in place, the Black Island Captain Morgan gear, free Rustic Flintlock pistols, Sacrifice Island extras, and Exchange weapons become cleaner upgrades instead of distractions.

Folded Palm location in Havana

Folded Palm is one of the easiest early trinkets to miss because it is carried by an ordinary dock NPC instead of sitting in a normal treasure route. Get it before you leave Havana for long, then keep it equipped whenever you expect guard fights.

Folded Palm is a quick Havana pickup that turns every takedown route into a gold route.

Spawn at the Havana viewpoint

Use the viewpoint nearest 225,589 so you start close to the dock.

Go to the dock NPC

Head down to the dock and find the NPC carrying the trinket.

Pickpocket or assassinate him

Either method gives you Folded Palm, though pickpocketing lets you leave quietly.

Equip Folded Palm

Every takedown gives 50 gold, so five guards become 250 gold and ten guards become 500 gold.

Narwhal’s Horn with Folded Palm

Narwhal’s Horn is the combat partner for Folded Palm. Its value is not direct gold; it helps you break enemy defenses faster, which leads into faster takedowns and therefore more Folded Palm payouts.

On PlayStation controls, the simple flow is to pressure defense with R1 until it shatters, then press Triangle for the takedown. If you are clearing guards anyway, this pairing makes the same fights pay faster.

Anchor Medallion on Sacrifice Island

Anchor Medallion is the early naval economy trinket. Floating crates show up constantly while sailing, and the medallion increases what you get from those pickups, including resources like wood, wine, spice, and other crate contents.

Anchor Medallion should be equipped before long sailing loops, especially while collecting crates between fights.

Sail to Sacrifice Island

The medallion is available straight out of the gate on the island.

Follow the shoreline chest route

Move from the landing area toward the shoreline chest and avoid drawing a long guard chase.

Stay anonymous before opening the chest

If guards spot you, clear them or lose alert status before trying to open it.

Loot the chest

Take Anchor Medallion from the chest on the route.

Equip it before crate pickups

Floating crates give more resources while the trinket is active.

Pick up ship loot while wearing it

Loot left floating after destroyed ships also appears to benefit, so collect it with Anchor Medallion equipped.

Captain Morgan gear on Black Island

Captain Morgan’s Outfit is an early style pickup, and the nearby Captain Morgan’s Pistols complete the look. The pistols’ standout use is appearance rather than a unique perk, because you can apply their look to another pistol through transmog.

Black Island gives you the Captain Morgan outfit and pistols in one short chest route.

Spawn at the Black Island viewpoint

Start from the island viewpoint and move out of the restricted zone.

Head toward the ridge route

You can fight the guards or simply push through the route toward the chests.

Open the pistol chest

Pick up Captain Morgan’s Pistols from the chest along the way.

Climb to the outfit chest

Continue upward and loot Captain Morgan’s Outfit.

Use Change Appearance

Equip the pistol perk you prefer, then apply the Captain Morgan’s Pistols appearance for the matching look.

Rustic Flintlock pistols as the free perk pick

Rustic Flintlock pistols are free from the store for every edition, which makes them the cleanest early pistol perk to pair with the Captain Morgan appearance. Equip the Rustic Flintlocks for function, then use Change Appearance if you want them to look like Captain Morgan’s Pistols.

The perk is simple and strong: after a perfect dodge, a quick shot immediately after it does not consume ammunition. That lets you fire after a dodge without spending a bullet, creating extra shot value during close combat chains.

Ram Dash and upgraded ram for early ship burst

Ram Dash is a ship ability unlocked through Padre, one of the officers you can recruit. It works best when paired with a bought ram upgrade, because the ability rewards direct, aggressive ship contact instead of slow broadside trading.

Ram Dash becomes a real early power spike once Padre is recruited and your ship’s ram is upgraded.

Start Padre’s first officer mission

Sail to Padre’s island marker and talk to him.

Finish the food errand

Tell the nearby people the food is ready to complete the short first mission.

Sail away and return

Leave the island, come back, and start Padre’s second mission.

Recruit Padre

Finish the second short mission to unlock Ram Dash.

Use Ram Dash in naval combat

Press L1 + R1 together to burst forward, damage ships, and begin the recharge cycle.

Buy the ram at a harbor master

Purchase the ram upgrade to add the golden ram to the front of your ship.

Pair the ram with Ram Dash

Open fights by smashing into smaller ships and chunking larger ones before swapping to broadsides or mortar.

Get the Ultimate Ram plan

Enter the La Concepcion wreck at 150,271 and open the large underwater chest for the Ultimate Ram plan.

Upgrade the ram again

Return to a harbor master and push the ram upgrade further once the plan is available.

Mortar storage and strength upgrades

Mortar is the early ship weapon that changes how safely you can fight. It hits from range, helps with forts, damages ships before they can close in, and its splash damage can pressure more than one target when ships group up.

The early mortar route raises ammo first, then damage.

Collect the Tortuga treasure map

Start with the treasure map on Tortuga for the mortar storage plan route.

Sail to Matanzas

Follow the map to Matanzas and move along the path toward the waterfall.

Avoid alerting the guards

If guards spot you, become anonymous before opening the treasure chest.

Open the waterfall chest

The chest behind the waterfall contains the mortar storage plan.

Upgrade mortar storage

Mortar storage raises capacity to 20 shots, up from the small default of 3.

Get the strength upgrade

For damage, head to Antarre/Antocha; check the island label in-game, since this route’s name appears inconsistently.

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More shots plus stronger hits make forts and ship groups much easier to pressure from range.

Video help

Captain Drake gear on Sacrifice Island

If you are already stopping at Sacrifice Island for Anchor Medallion, sweep the shoreline for the optional Captain Drake’s Outfit and nearby Drake’s Swords. Drake’s Swords deal 38 damage and include a heavy strike move, making them a strong early side pickup if you want melee power before spending heavily elsewhere.

Keep this as a route bonus rather than the first detour. Anchor Medallion affects your sailing economy right away, while Captain Drake’s gear is best grabbed when you are already on the island.

Early store and Exchange weapons after free pickups

After the free and chest-based pickups, spend carefully. Officer’s Blade and Matched Golden Swords are straightforward Reales options, while Altaïr’s Swords and Ezio’s Swords use Animus Keys through the Exchange.

Returning players may already have Keys from earlier projects like Shadow, which can make Exchange swords available before the Resurgence story gets far. For pistols, Lucy Baldwin’s third Officer quest, Plantain!, is the early quest target to remember.

Once this early list is handled, keep Cannon-Barrel Pistols in a western cove chest, Gun Swords, and Le Bourgeoys through Bernand at your mansion on the longer-term list. Le Bourgeoys needs art pieces, deals 38 damage, and fires three times during heavy strikes.

Free Additional Content and Eye in the Dark rewards

Before spending, check the Additional Content menu for free rewards. The early freebies include the Shipmate Monkey pet and Nomad’s Bronze Ensemble legendary outfit, which are easy value if you want extra cosmetics immediately.

Also activate the Resurgence Project Eye in the Dark early if you plan to progress those rewards over time. Its reward path includes Dark Animus Corsair Flintlocks, the Obsidian Monolith legendary trinket, Dark Animus Corsair Robes, and a legendary pet.

Mistakes that slow the early route

The biggest mistake is leaving Havana without Exotic Sea Shells and Folded Palm. Those two pickups make normal early play pay out better, so farming animals or clearing guards before equipping them leaves money and materials behind.

Use transmog instead of forcing weak style choices. Captain Morgan’s Pistols can provide the look while Rustic Flintlocks provide the perk, and the same logic applies when you prefer one sword’s stats and another sword’s appearance.

Finally, do not skip Dry Tortuga just because you lack a mortar. You can break the fort walls with normal ship cannons, defeat the guards, and raise your flag to unlock Double Shot for chasing ships.