Assassin's Creed® IV Black Flag™
Ubisoft Entertainment
Original Release October 29, 2013
Blood
Sexual Themes
Strong Language
Use of Alcohol
Violence
The year is 1715. Pirates rule the Caribbean and have established their own lawless Republic where corruption, greediness and cruelty are commonplace. Among these outlaws is a brash young captain named Edward Kenway. His fight for glory has earned him the respect of legends like Blackbeard, but also drawn him into the ancient war between Assassins and Templars, a war that may destroy everything the pirates have built. Welcome to the Golden Age of Piracy.
Full 100% Synchronization Guide and Platinum Trophy Walkthrough for the Assassin's Creed® IV: Black Flag™ Video Game.
Playing the game in this order is merely just suggested; I do not force you to play in this order, but it is highly recommended.
This guide is compiled into chapters in accordance with pivotal moments in the storyline of Assassin's Creed® IV Black Flag™.
Spoiler Warning: Plot details, ending details, or both are in the text and images which follows
Progress Tracker
To complete 100% Full Synchronization with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, you have to complete all Main Sequences, Side Missions, Collectibles, and Side Activities. You can use the Progress Tracker in the pause menu to track how much progress you have completed towards 100% Synchronization. Please note that all Present Day segments throughout the story is tracked through the achievements in this guide. It is recommended to complete secondary missions after completion of the main storyline as some features for 100% sync are locked until you complete a specific sequence. Because Assassin's Creed 4 is a large open world game, it is also recommended to synchronize with all viewpoints and visit all 52 locations as early as possible to make traveling easier.
main sequences
| Sequence | Setting | Memory | Full Synchronization Optional Objectives | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prologue | Cape Bonavista, June 1715 | 01 | Edward Kenway |  Heroes Aren't Born  | |||
| Welcome to Abstergo Entertainment | ||||||||
| 2 | The Spanish Main | Havana, Cuba, July 1715 | 01 | Lively Havana | tackle the pickpocket use smoke bombs to escape combat |  | ||
| 02 |  | ...And My Sugar? | hire dancers to distract guards stay out of combat | | ||||
| 03 | | Mister Walpole, I Presume? | complete Rogers' shooting challenge pickpocket all Templars: 3/3 | | ||||
| 04 | | A Man They Call The Sage | tackle the Sage from above use the pistol in combat | | ||||
| 05 | | Claiming What's Due | stay out of combat kill guards from stalking zones: 3/3 | | ||||
| 06 | The Treasure Fleet | free 23 pirates kill guards from behind corners: 3/3 | |  Good While It Lasted | ||||
| 3 | The Republic of Pirates | 01 | This Tyro Captain | shoot an iguana air assassinate an ocelot | | |||
| Nassau, Bahamas, September 1715 | 02 | | Now Hiring | disarm and kill guards: 3/3 shoot the rope to save the pirate | | |||
| 03 | | Prizes and Plunder | use a swivel to kill sailors: 3/3 plunder 20 rum | | ||||
| 04 | Raise the Black Flag | plunder a hunter ship plunder 30 sugar | | |||||
| 05 | | Sugarcane And Its Yields | sabotage alarm bells: 2/2 stay out of combat | | ||||
| 06 | | Proper Defenses | use one broadside to sink 2 boats use heavy shot to sink ships: 2/2 | | ||||
| 07 | | A Single Madman | stay out of combat air assassinate Du Casse | |  A Pirate's Life For Me | |||
| A Small Favour |  Routine Hacking | |||||||
| 4 | Retribution | Great Inagua, March 1716 | 01 | This Old Cove | ||||
| 02 | | Nothing is True... | knock out assassins: 3/3 loot treasure chests: 4/4 | | ||||
| 03 | The Sage's Buried Secret | |||||||
| 04 | Overrun And Outnumbered | use sleep darts on guards: 8/8 use berserk darts on guards: 2/2 | |  No Apologies  | ||||
| 5 | Mistaken Motives | Nassau, Bahamas, January 1717 | 01 | | The Forts | use the mortar to damage the fort use a running assassinate to kill the officer | | |
| 02 | | Traveling Salesman | kill gunners: 4/4 kill guards stunned by smoke bombs: 5/5 | | ||||
| 03 | | Unmanned | use berserk darts on brutes: 2/2 use sleep darts on gunners: 2/2 | |  Death Of A Salesman | |||
| 6 | Shifting Sands | Nassau, Bahamas, January 1718 | 01 | | Diving for Medicines | loot treasure chests: 3/3 avoid being attacked by a shark | | |
| 02 | | Devil's Advocate | rescue survivors: 5/5 kill guards stunned by smoke bombs: 3/3 | | ||||
| 03 | | The Siege of Charles-Towne | use sleep darts on crocodiles: 3/3 skin a crocodile | |  Mixing Up The Medicines | |||
| Corporate Pressure |  Getting Weird Around Here | |||||||
| 7 | The British Invasion | Nassau, Bahamas, July 1718 | 01 | | We Demand A Parlay | sabotage the alarm bell kill guards while hanging from a ledge: 3/3 | | |
| 02 | | The Gunpowder Plot | kill 4 guards in one kill streak use blowpipe darts on guards: 10/10 | | ||||
| 03 | | Commodore Eighty-Sixed | kill guards from stalking zones: 3/3 air assassinate Chamberlaine | | ||||
| 04 | | The Fireship | use the mortar to sink ships: 3/3 use barrels to sink a ship | |  The Hammer Falls | |||
| 8 | No Regrets | Great Inagua, October 1718 | 01 | | Do Not Go Gently... | use heavy shot to incapacitate the Man O'War: 1/1 kill guards: 4/4 | | |
| 02 | | Vainglorius Bastards | damage the Royal African Pearl with an upgraded ram use the fort's defenses to sink a ship | | ||||
| 03 | Marooned | skin animals: 3/3 air assassinate Vane | |  Adrift | ||||
| 9 | Muddied Waters | Great Inagua, May 1719 | 01 | | Imagine My Surprise | kill brutes: 4/4 sabotage alarm bells: 2/2 | | |
| 02 | | Trust Is Earned | double assassinate Cockram and Burgess free pirates: 2/2 | |  A New Hope | |||
| 10 | Dead Reckoning | Misteriosa, September 1719 | 01 | | Black Bart's Gambit | stay out of combat use a rope swing to kill the captain | | |
| 02 | | Murder and Mayhem | stay out of combat while finding Homigold air assassinate Hornigold | | ||||
| 03 | | The Observatory | incapacitate all guardians while unarmed incapacitate guardians from stalking zones: 5/5 | |  My Elusive Fortune | |||
| The Bunker |  Bunker Buddies | |||||||
| 11 | To The Lees | Port Royal, Jamaica, April 1720 Four months later... | 01 | To Suffer Without Dying | sabotage alarm bells: 3/3 visit old friends: 2/2 | | ||
| 02 | Delirium | |||||||
| 03 | | ...Everything is Permitted | use the rope dart to hang guards: 2/2 use the rope dart to pull guards: 3/3 | |  Been Down So Long... | |||
| 12 | The Eagle and The Jackdaw | Île à Vache, May 1721 | 01 | | A Governer No Longer | kill the diplomat from a haystack kill Rogers from a bench | | |
| 02 | | Royal Misfortune | use the rope dart to kill Roberts kill guards by destroying powder barrels: 8/8 | | ||||
| 03 | | Tainted Blood | use guards as a human shield: 2/2 stay out of combat | | ||||
| 04 | | Ever a Splinter | free the guardian hostages: 7/7 use the Observatory's defenses to kill guards: 4/4 | |  Just Like Starting Over | |||
| A Face From The Past |  It's All Good | |||||||
| 13 | Epilogue | Great Inagua, October 1722 | 01 | ...The End | ||||
| 02 | How Grand, Master Kenway |  Saw That One Coming...  | ||||||
 By The Book |
side missions
Help A Brother Out 
Sea Legs collectibles
Seven Deadly Seas side activities
| location | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| naval forts |  | Fort Castillo de Jagua | |
| | Fort Charlotte | ||
| | Fort Chinchorro | ||
| | Fort Conttoyor | ||
| | Fort Cabo de Cruz | ||
| | Fort Dry Tortuga | ||
| | Fort Eleuthera | ||
| | Fort Gibara | ||
| | Fort Navassa | ||
| | Fort Serranilla |  King Of The Castle | |
| viewpoints |  | cape bonavista | |
| | Havana | ||
| | Kingston | ||
| | Nassau | ||
| | Great Inagua | ||
| | Tulum | ||
| | Principe | ||
| | Isla Providencia | ||
| | Arroyos | ||
| | Salt Key Bank | ||
| | Crooked Island | ||
| | Grand Cayman | ||
| | Misteriosa | ||
| | Pinos Isle | ||
| | Cat Island | ||
| | Matanzas | ||
| | New Bone | ||
| | Tortuga | ||
| | Andreas island | ||
| | Corozal | ||
| | Île À Vache | ||
| | Abaco Island | ||
| | Salt Lagoon | ||
| | Santanillas | ||
| | Mariguana Island | ||
| | cumberland bay | ||
| | Cayman Sound | ||
| | Long Bay | ||
| | florida | ||
| Mayan Stelae |  | Great Inagua | |
| | Tulum | ||
| | Isla Providencia | ||
| | Misteriosa | ||
| | Pino Isle | ||
| | Cat Island | ||
| | Matanzas | ||
| | New Bone | ||
| | Tortuga | ||
| | Santanillas | ||
| | long bay | ||
| | cape bonavista |  Vault Raider | |
| taverns |  | Kingston | |
| | Arroyos | ||
| | Salt Key Bank | ||
| | Crooked Island | ||
| | Grand Cayman | ||
| | Andreas Island | ||
| | Corozal | ||
| | Île À Vache |  Barfly | |
| legendary ships |  | El Impoluto | |
| | La Dama Negra | ||
| | HMS Prince | ||
| | The Brothers-In-Arms |  Devil Of The Caribbean | |
| buried chests | buried chests |  Excavator |
Owned
Cartographer
Freedom Cry
Freedom Cry is a DLC you can access from the Assassins Creed IV Main Menu in which Adéwalé, now an Assassin for over a decade, washes up on the shores of a corrupt and hostile Saint-Domingue and confronts the past he fought to overcome. Moved to action against injustice and deep-seated hatred, he faces a defining choice between his duty to the Assassin Brotherhood, and a new alliance with the Maroon resistance. To complete 100% synchronization with Freedom Cry, you only have to complete all of the main memories. It is optional to do all the collectibles and side activities, but recommended to do so anyway to fully complete Freedom Cry. You can track how much progress you've made towards 100% sync via the Progress Tracker in the main menu.
Progress Tracker
| Setting | Memory | Full Synchronization Optional Objectives | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Cry | near Saint-Domingue, 1735 | 01 | the calm before the storm | locate the Templar Admiral's ship using the SPYGLASS use the mortar to surprise the templar fleet | | ||
| 02 | a common enemy |  Liberation Day | |||||
| 03 | laying the first brick | push an overseer into the water perform an air assassination from a height of 10 meters | | ||||
| 04 | | a ship of his own | use Bastienne's girls to distract the guards distract 4 guards with firecrackers | | |||
| 05 | | lifting the veil | liberate slaves from the slave barracks kill the overseer who led the slaves | | |||
| 06 | | a scientific inquiry | complete all 5 investigations do not kill anyone while investigating | | |||
| 07 | | plant the seeds | sink the pirate schooners before sinking the brig destroy the pirate flotilla in 6 minutes | | |||
| 08 | | down with the ship | take less than 50% damage during the naval fight liberate 15 slaves | | |||
| 09 | | de Fayet's Last Stand | kill de Fayet with the branding iron kill 5 guards with the blunderbuss | |  Firepower | ||
 His Own Medicine | |||||||
 His Word Was "Perhaps" | |||||||
 His Full Attention |
Achievements and Trophies
The following achievements and trophies can be achieved during one or multiple playthroughs of the game, or in free roam after Story Completion. These are discussed in a separate section as these are may or may not naturally happen during first playthrough of the game. Trophies and Achievements can also be obtained during free roam after completion of the main game. Do note that the Multiplayer trophies are very time-consuming so it is recommended to try for these trophies as early and soon as you can.
Hungover
Wake up in a haystack.
To get this trophy, you can visit any tavern in any region and interact with the bottle and drink it for 5 Reales. Interact with the bottle at least 5 times and you will get the trophy when Edward wakes up!
Silence, Fool!
Kill a guard ringing a bell.
To get this trophy, you can enter any restricted area with an alarm bell in the area. Make sure you are seen by an enemy and make sure he runs to ring the alarm bell, which you can tell by the alarm bell icon above his head. Once he gets to the alarm bell and starts or is about to start ringing, kill him quickly to get the trophy!
Killer Killer
Harpoon a killer whale.
You can get this trophy naturally as you go hunting and harpooning goods for crafting outfits, ammunitions and upgrades. You can find killer whales on the map in the Cabo de Cruz and Conttoyor region. Visit any of those regions, then find and complete the harpooning side activity on the killer whale for the trophy! It is recommended to get all harpooning upgrades to inflict as much damage as possible on the killer whale.
Employee Of The Month
Complete 25 Abstergo challenges.
You can get this trophy naturally as you complete Abstergo challenges. You can see the abstergo challenges you can complete easily through the Animus Main Menu, but you will naturally complete a lot of the challenges anyway as you complete the main storyline and go for total 100% Sync.
Business And Pleasure
Earn 50,000 reales.
You can get this trophy naturally as you earn money by looting chests, ship convoys, selling cargo, completing assassin contracts, Kenway's Fleet, and raiding plantations. The quickest way to earn money is basically just by plundering ship convoys as ships have lots of money and loot you can sell. You can still spend your Reales as this trophy counts for total income. You can keep recycling all of these money making methods and get up to 50,000 Reales for the trophy!
Mer-man
Swim a total of 1 nmi.
You can get this trophy naturally as you swim across the seas of the West Indies. Just keep swimming as much as you can and eventually you will get the trophy. You can track how much nmi you swimmed in the Animus Pause Menu > Animus Database > Statistics.
Redingote Up!
Craft the Hunter outfit.
To get this trophy, you will need to first get the White Jaguar skin and the Red Howler Monkey skin. You can naturally get the White Jaguar skin after the Templar Hunt Mission, "The Taino Assassin", where you can skin the animal after the mission ends in free roam. You can find the Red Howler Monkey in Isla Providencia. You can also buy both pelts from a General Store for 11K Reales total. Once you have the pelts, visit Crafting via the Animus Pause Menu and craft the outfit to get the trophy!
Thug Life
Plunder 30 ships.
You can get this trophy naturally as you plunder ships for money, cargo and resources to upgrade the Jackdaw. To plunder a ship, you have to board the ship and complete the side activity objectives to plunder it of its cargo. Target small and easy ships and keep on plundering them and assert your dominance for the trophy!
Destroyer
Fully upgrade the Jackdaw.
This is the most time consuming trophy in AC4, but you can still get this trophy naturally as you keep purchase upgrades for the Jackdaw in between main sequences and secondary activities. You will also need to find all of the elite blueprint plans to be able to get the last parts of some upgrades, which can be found by completing underwater shipwreck locations and buried chests. Ways to earn cargo and resources is just by plundering ships and raiding plantations. Ways to earn money is listed under the "Business and Pleasure" trophy. If playing on PC, there is no shame in using a trainer to upgrade the Jackdaw to the max. Just keep plundering large ships, earn money through different activities, and keep getting those upgrades until you fully turn the Jackdaw into a beast for the trophy! You can see here all of the Jackdaw's Upgrades and Costs.
Cannon fodder
Recruit 500 crew members.
This is another time consuming trophy, but you can get it naturally as you recruit crew members for the Jackdaw by saving them during fights in major locations, hiring them from taverns, saving cast away sailors, and boarding and plundering ships. Quick ways to maximize your crew is by investing in crew storage so you can carry up to 50 crew members at a time. You can also plunder bigger ships as the bigger the ship the more crew you will get. You can track your recruited crew members via the Animus Pause Menu > Animus Database > Statistics. Keep growing your pirate crew up to a total of 500 members for the trophy!
FTFY
Fully upgrade your hideout.
To get this trophy, you can upgrade the Great Inagua hideout buildings after Sequence 4 Memory 1, "This Old Cove", at 
icons around Great Inagua. You can upgrade the Harbourmaster, General Store, tavern, campfire, brothel, mansion facade, mansion tower and gardens and a guest house for a total of around 90K Reales. You can fully upgrade all of the Great Inagua renovations to get the trophy!
Ghost In The Machine
Hack 15 computers in Abstergo Entertainment.
To get this trophy, you can exit the Animus via the Animus Pause Menu > Quit > Exit Animus. When you exit the animus and return to present day, you can access the minimap by pressing X and use the map to find computers you can hack for the achievement. Keep in mind there are 33 total Computers you can hack, but you only need 15 for the trophy. It is best to go for this trophy after completion of the main storyline as you will have all of the clearance levels by then. You can see here where to find all computers in Abstergo Entertainment for the trophy!
Roped In
Perform 5 air assassinations from a swinging rope.
To get this trophy, you can access swinging ropes on your Jackdaw on the side of the steering wheel. To perform an air assassination from a swinging rope, jump on the rope and while you are swinging make sure there is a highlighted enemy below you then press the attack button to air assassinate off the rope. You can do these while boarding a ship, so to get the trophy quickly you can go back and forth between the Jackdaw and the ship and keep air assassinating off swinging ropes at least five times for the trophy.
Sharing Is Caring
Share each type of discovery with friends once.
To get this trophy, first keep in mind that this is an online-only achievement and you can only get it when there is a wifi symbol present in the lower left corner of the minimap, which means that you are connected to Ubisoft servers. There are three types of discoveries you can find, which are social chests, social royal convoys, and white whales. You can find these kinds of discoveries will have a light blue icon instead of white. When you get near a discovery it will be shared with friends automatically so all you need to do is just sail near one. Social Royal Convoys and White Whales can be found more easily in the seas, the social chests are more challenging as they are more rare to find. You can find a map of potential locations of these discoveries here.
All Aboard!
Board a ship without losing any crew members.
To get this trophy, you need to complete Sequence 3 Memory 3, "Prizes and Plunder" and board at least a Brig (10 enemy crew) in the open seas. Use the spyglass to locate a Brig then shoot at it until it is almost broken. Leave the Jackdaw and jump into the water. Swim to the incapacitated Brig and kill all the enemies on it, then go back to the Jackdaw and board the now empty Brig. As soon as you board the Brig, you should get the trophy!
Siren Song
Rescue pirate hostages by distracting enemies with "dancers."
To get this trophy, make sure that crew has not reached the max capacity but if so, board a ship and let the enemies kill some member of your crew. Fast travel to the tallest viewpoint in Kingston and hire a group of Dancers nearby and use them to distract the guards holding pirates at gunpoint. You will get the trophy as a result!
Wild West Indies
Kill 4 enemies in a row using multi-pistols.
To get this trophy, first you need to craft the three additional pistol holsters in order to carry a total of four pistols. You can find or buy all the pelts needed to craft the pistol holsters. Once armed with the four pistols, find a group of four or more enemies and open fire - this does not need to be done in open combat. You will get the trophy as a result!
Committed To The Cause
Reach level 55 in Multiplayer.
To get this trophy, you will need to reach the highest level in Multiplayer, which is Level 55. To reach Level 55 you will need to gather 526,000 XP total. You can earn XP by getting kills, completing matches and challenges. The quickest method to farm XP is Wolfpack mode. You can get around 7K XP per match if you complete all waves and can also get around 1K points per kill if you complete the match as fast as possible with quick stealth kills, while locked on to the enemy. You can keep farming this mode to eventually get the trophy; it will take some time and effort to do so, but one must remember that patience is key.
Personal Bag Of Tricks
Finish a game session with an ability set that you customized in Multiplayer.
To get this trophy in Multiplayer mode, you can start a match and access your Ability sets mid-match via Main Menu > Ability Sets (L1). You can choose any available ability you can access, then complete the match to earn the trophy.
Master Of The Caribbean
Complete the Discovery Mode of Wolfpack in Multiplayer.
To get this trophy in multiplayer, you can complete wolfpack discovery mode which is basically a tutorial for the wolfpack mode which consists of 8 Missions. Simply just complete these 8 Missions solo for the trophy.
Lab Technician
Play and complete a game session of Game Lab in the Multiplayer Public playlist.
To get this trophy in multiplayer, you can simply just play a public match of Game Lab from the main menu and complete the match to earn the trophy.
All Rounder
Play on every game mode, and use every ability and ranged weapon once in Multiplayer.
To get this trophy in multiplayer, you will need to first level up to 48 so you can unlock all of the abilities and ranged weapons. You have to then purchase the abilities and weapons for animus credits. Your first goal is to complete all the game modes at least once, which is Manhunt, Artifact Assault, Domination, Wanted, Deathmatch, Assassinate, Wolfpack Discovery Mode and Wolfpack. A quick way to use all of the abilities and weapons is by buying the copycat perk, so if you are killed in a public session by another player, you can choose to copy your killer's ability set and use any abilities and weapons they have bought and equipped as it will count for the trophy. Keep track of all of the abilities, weapons, and modes you have used, and eventually you will get the trophy once you have participated in everything AC4 Multiplayer has to offer.
Sacred Land
Playing as The Jaguar, be the highest scoring player of a Domination game session.
To get this trophy in multiplayer, search for a domination game session with a small amount of players and choose to play as the Jaguar if you can (if not, just quit the game and search again). You earn points in Domination by capturing and holding points; killing and stunning enemies get you more points. You can get this trophy quicker with 4 friends or people and make two clans with 2 people each, then starting a domination game session in clan matches to have better chances or coming out on top as the Jaguar for the trophy.
Queen Anne's Revenge
Playing as Blackbeard, perform an acrobatic kill and a gun kill in less than 10 seconds.
To get this trophy in multiplayer, first make sure you are a level 38 so you can get the gun ability. Enter a solo wolfpack match on Saba Island while choosing to play as Blackbeard. When the first Defend the Chest wave starts, go to chest A and hang from the wall near it. Once an enemy nears the chest kill him once he is highlighted and while your facing the wall to perform an Acrobatic kill. Quickly go to chest B and perform a gun kill on the enemy there for the trophy.
Preemptive Strike
Playing as The Orchid, block 10 abilities from opponents with Sabotage.
To get this trophy in multiplayer, first make sure you are a level 28 so you can get the sabotage ability, then go into a solo wolfpack mode while choosing to play as Orchid. During a Defend the Chests wave, enemies who loot the chest use an ability to turn invisible so use the sabotage ability before they do so when you get close to them. You will know you have done it when you hear an "eee" sound. You can do this in one single match or over more matches as this trophy is cumulative; once you use the ability on at least 10 enemies you will get the trophy.
Elevator to the Gallows
Kill a player using a lift that has been trapped with Booby Trap.
To get this trophy in Multiplayer, first make sure you are a level 26 so you can get the booby trap ability. Go into a private or public Manhunt mode match and while in the match, if you are the prey find a lift and place a booby trap on it. Use the lift and stand the top... eventually some dumb person will try to kill you using the lift to their own failure, while giving you the trophy.
Seeds of Independence
Liberate 500 slaves.
You will get this trophy in Freedom Cry naturally as you liberate slaves all around the map for upgrades. The quickest methods to liberate large amounts of slaves is raiding plantations and freeing slave ships, as you can free from 30 up to 90 slaves in one go. Keep practicing emancipation across the map and you will eventually get this trophy!
Prizes, Plunder, and Adventure! 
reach the ship's wheel 
sink enemy ships 
free the merchant 
beat up the attackers 
steal the Captain's key 
Laureano Torres 
recruit pirates 
hunting wildlife 
board the schooner 
loot the warehouse 
kill the guards 
buy a diving bell 
escape the blast radius 
on the map. For some contracts you have an optional objective to stay out of combat for extra money. You can complete all assassin contracts for 100% total sync. 
, which you can collect for database entries, and cadavers 
, which are basically treasure maps that lead to finding buried treasures. You can find all collectibles in all 52 locations for 100% total sync. 
naval fort 
tavern 
mission locked 
complete at least 3 of 5 investigations into Godin