The Jackdaw: what to upgrade and where the elite plans are

The Jackdaw: what to upgrade and where the elite plans are The Jackdaw is a huge part of what makes Black Flag work. But there's more going on than just buying more cannons. More guns, stronger ammunition and more ammunition storage are different upgrades. If you mix those up, you can spend a lot without fixing the thing giving you trouble. All19 categories 1. Hull armor: survival. 2. Broadside cannons: more side-facing guns. 3. Chase cannons: forward guns. 4. Ram: collision damage. 5. Round shot: aimed broadside damage. 6. Chain shot: forward-shot strength. 7. Mortars: long-range bombardment. 8. Swivel guns: weak-point follow-ups. 9. Heavy shot: close-range broadside damage. 10. Fire barrels: rear-facing explosives. 11. Diving bell: story-unlocked underwater access. 12. Heavy-shot storage. 13. Mortar storage. 14. Fire-barrel storage. 15. Crew capacity. 16. Cargo capacity. 17. Rowboat armor. 18. Harpoon damage. 19. Harpoon capacity. The last three are for hunting from the small boat, not ordinary ship combat. Sails, wheels and figureheads are appearance choices, not extra cannon power. What I'd buy first I'd start with the thing that keeps ending the fight. If the ship is getting torn apart before you can finish anything, buy armor. If you can survive but barely hurt the other ship, improve the guns and the shot you're actually using. If you keep running out of ammunition halfway through, buy storage. Once that basic problem is fixed, I'd build a balanced ship rather than maxing one attack while leaving everything else untouched. Mortars help before you get close. Broadsides do the regular fighting. The ram and heavy shot become useful when the gap closes. You want options, not one expensive weapon and a ship that can't survive long enough to use it. How the weapons work Aim for round shot; an unaimed broadside uses stocked heavy shot. Use swivels on exposed weak points. Twelve elite plans These names are the destinations, not exact chest directions. Underwater: hull at San Ignacio; cannons at Blue Hole; ram at La Concepcion; round shot at Kabah Ruins; mortars at Antocha; swivels at Devil's Eye. Treasure maps: Ambergris Key→Misteriosa for heavy shot; Santanillas→San Juan for fire barrels; Cayman Sound→Petite Caverne for heavy-shot storage; Tortuga→Matanzas for mortar storage; Kenway's Fleet→Isla Providencia for barrel storage; Mariguana→Andreas Island for harpoon damage. Get the map before trying its buried treasure. Finding a plan unlocks a purchase; it does not give you a free installed upgrade. The Fleet-dependent map also needs its online access checked on your platform. Final elite purchase costs These are only the last upgrade, with earlier tiers still costing extra. M means metal; W means wood. No cloth is required for these twelve final purchases. | Upgrade | Reales | Materials | |---|---:|---| |Hull|30,000|400M +750W| |Cannons|20,000|650M| |Ram|15,000|200M +600W| |Round shot|35,000|None| |Mortars|25,000|650M| |Swivels|15,000|400M| |Heavy shot|25,000|None| |Barrels|8,000|None| |Heavy-shot storage|4,000|None| |Mortar storage|5,000|None| |Barrel storage|4,000|None| |Harpoon damage|4,000|None| Before spending, check the plan requirement, the previous tier and the materials. Then decide whether that particular purchase is what you need next. That's a lot more useful than throwing all your money at the most expensive option just because it's there.