Overview:
- Estimated achievement difficulty:3/10
- Offline: 50 [1080]
- Online: 10 [170] Note that only 4 of them require online connectivity, the others can be done in the multiplayer mode using solo Wolfpack gameplay.
- Approximate amount of time to 1250: 45-60 hours
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1 [can do mission select if needed for full synchronization]
- Missable achievements: None
- Does difficulty affect achievements?: No difficulty settings
- Unobtainable/glitched achievements: None
- Extra equipment needed?: None

  • DLC: Blackbeard's Wrath
    • Difficulty: 1/10
    • Time to 80: 1 hour if boosting. Potentially much longer if playing random matches
    • Unobtainable: None
  • DLC: Freedom Cry
    • Difficulty: 2/10
    • Time to 170: 4-6 hours
    • Unobtainable:None

Introduction:
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a prequel to Assassin's Creed III, but while it is set in the Assassin's Creed universe, it is mostly a pirate game. If you go into the game with that mindset rather than expecting a game about assassination and stealth, you are likely to enjoy it much more. You play as Edward Kenway while in the past, and as an anonymous Abstergo employee while in the modern era. There is a large focus on naval combat as well as some new mechanics such as swimming while submersed. Overall this is a very well done naval warfare/pirate game that has some peripheral ties to the prior Assassin's Creed games through the main storyline and the modern era scenes.

Abbreviated Walkthrough:
In order to unlock Sharing is Caring, you have to be online during the campaign. If you typically play offline, make an exception for this game at least until you have this achievement unlocked.

All of your time spent in the modern era is pretty linear and scripted. There are very few achievements tied to this, so enjoy the story for what it is, hack every computer you can find, and get back into the animus. Most of your time will be spent playing as Kenway, and initially you will want to move through the objectives and not worry too much about exploring or other tasks until you complete Mission 6 Sequence 1. Try to complete all of the secondary objectives for each mission to minimize the number of single-mission replays you will need to do later. Along the way upgrade your ship as best you can so that you are more able to easily defeat the early naval enemies. While on land, the one thing you will want to do early is to synchronize any viewpoint you can. The viewpoints turn into fast travel locations which speed up game play later. In addition, obtaining all secrets in each area is useful to ensure you get all the treasure maps.

Once you have finished Mission 6, Sequence 1, you are able to dive on locations of sunken ships. At this point you will want to wait on advancing the story any further and focus on capturing ships, maxing out Kenway's Fleet, and upgrading the Jackdaw to the maximum you have access to. There are a few upgrades you can't access until further in the story, but most of them can be obtained at this point, you just need to find the blueprints. This is a good time to get most of the locations explored as well as capturing all the forts. There is a clever way Spanish Assault found to easily obtain man o' wars for Kenway's Fleet detailed here.

Kenway's Fleet is controlled from the cabin of the Jackdaw, and missions there take place in real time. Friends can help speed things up, but much of this will be spread across a week or so of game play. Kenway's fleet is your primary source of income in the game, so bigger, faster, and stronger ships are important. Make sure you expand out to the full complement of ships as soon as you can, and keep upgrading the ships you use by replacing the smaller ones. Keep 2-3 schooners with fast attack times, 2-3 frigates with fast attack times, and then all the rest should be man o' wars with a focus on larger cargo capacities. Use the schooners and frigates to clear the sea lanes when you are facing small ships just to prevent having to repair your man o' wars all the time, and then send your ships on the most profitable routes. You should ensure that you sail each route at least once to unlock all the content in the game, including one of the plans needed to fully upgrade the Jackdaw.

Next, it is time to jump back in the game and finish up the story! Again, focus on 100% secondary objectives and visiting any new locations that unlock. I would avoid the legendary ships that are located in each corner until the end of the campaign. Throughout the story keep checking Kenway's Fleet to keep money coming in. After the story is done, the game becomes a large sandbox and you can visit all locations as needed. There are quite a few miscellaneous achievements that will need to be finished up such as Killer Killer and Vault Raider, but they are generally straight forward and should offer no particular challenge. Finally, tackle the legendary ships to finish up the single player!

Multiplayer:
The multiplayer will require you to try every game mode at least once and also use every ability and ranged weapon available in MP. This means purchasing and equipping them, or using the copycat power to use them. Obviously, it is more reliable to purchase them as otherwise you are dependent on other players to actually have what you are looking for. You also have to level up to 55 in the multiplayer which will take some grinding. You can do your leveling in Wolfpack solo or with a group if you prefer that over competitive multiplayer.

Blackbeard's Wrath

Abbreviated Walkthrough:
These are all multiplayer achievements that can be earned in a public match with some skill and patience, or you can get a party together and rip through them all in about an hour. Alternately, all of them except Sacred Land and Elevator to the Gallows can be earned in single player Wolfpack. I strongly recommend the later approach. Note that you must be level 38 before you can complete all of the achievements unless you spend real money as a microtransaction.

Freedom Cry

Abbreviated Walkthrough:
There are two achievements for completing the story: Liberation Day and His Word Was Perhaps. You also will need to get full synchronization on the story missions to unlock His Full Attention and His Own Medicine, and will also unlock Firepower at the same time (although it can be unlocked earlier). The last achievement is obtained by freeing 500 slaves, which you can do at any point in the game after starting Memory 2. The entire DLC should take no more than 5-6 hours.

Conclusion:
This is a fun pirate game in the Assassin's Creed universe, and adding in the trading meta game gives a different flavor to interacting with your friends. Overall it is a relatively easy completion, albeit with a bit of grinding for the multiplayer.

Many thanks to Morbious17 who started an alternate guide, from which certain facts and figures were borrowed, and to Capn Doug for providing a plethora of critiques and adjustments.

[XBA would like to thank Creech for this roadmap]

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Achievement Guide

Printable Guide
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There are 60 achievements with a total of 1250 points

  • Complete memory sequence 1.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed. There are no optional objectives in this sequence, so merely progressing through the sequence is enough to unlock the achievement. This will unlock after you leave the first island and move to the modern era for the first time.

    Memory 1 - Edward Kenway

    • There are no optional objectives in this memory.
  • Complete memory sequence 2.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed. There are twelve optional objectives that you will want to complete as you are playing the sequence. If you miss them, you can reload a checkpoint if you are still within the mission, or replay the entire mission at any time from the menus.

    The optional objectives for each memory are listed below:

    Memory 1 - Lively Havana

    1. Tackle the pickpocket: You will have a scene where a pickpocket steals from your partner and you need to chase the thief down. You can kill the pickpocket to complete the sequence, but to get this secondary objective you will need to press when you are close to him to tackle him.
    2. Use smoke bombs to escape combat: You will be thrown into a bar fight that the guards come break up. After the cut scene you will have control of Kenway. Move toward the doorway and as soon as a guard is close to you, press to use a smoke bomb, and then run/climb to safety.

    Memory 2 - ...And My Sugar?

    1. Hire dancers to distract guards: Dancers are groups of four women who can be found throughout towns in the game. They are useful as a distraction, and this secondary objective is essentially an introduction to that feature. You can hire them as soon as the mission starts, and you don't actually have to distract any guards with them, merely hiring the dancers is enough to satisfy the secondary objective. They are very useful as mobile cover in many missions, including this one. Approach the dancers and press to hire them. If you want to use them to distract guards, you can press to send them at nearby guards or merely get close enough and the dancers will automatically distract them.
    2. Stay out of combat: You will need to treat the last portion of the mission as a stealth game where if a guard detects you (his icon will turn red) you lose this secondary objective. The secondary objective will appear when you approach the fort. To the left will be a viewpoint up high that you can't reach, but at ground level is a path across the side of the fort. As you round the corner of the fort be careful of the window that will be to your right as there are several guards inside. When they are looking away, jump to the beam sticking out from the wall and climb up. Go all the way to the right around the corner and about halfway across that next side until you see three guards. Only one is patrolling and the others have pretty tight tunnel vision, so this is merely a matter of timing. Climb up when the patrolling guard is walking away, and hide next to the crates, using them to protect you from the line of sight of the patrol. There is a sniper to avoid also, but use the crates as cover and get to the objective door. You will get yellow alerts on the way to the door, so wait until you are anonymous and then press to open the door. When you come out, you will need to run and jump into the water before you are detected to successfully complete the secondary objective.

    Memory 3 - Mister Walpole, I Presume?

    1. Complete Rogers' shooting challenge: Once inside the courtyard you and your hosts will approach a shooting range and shoot a few of the targets. When you have control and have the option of continuing, ensure that your guns are reloaded by pushing , approach the man who displays "Challenge" over his head, and press . You will want to position yourself so that you have a clear line of sight to all of the targets so that you don't waste time moving. Hit each target once in the time permitted to complete the objective. If you are standing where all targets have a white outline around them, you can repeatedly press to automatically shoot each target without having to pull to aim. You will need to reload once during the minigame but you will have enough time and reloads your guns when they are all empty.
    2. Pickpocket all Templars: When the Templars are standing around the table talking, walk up behind each one and hold to take money from them. The objective will be complete when you have successfully done so to all three Templars.

    Memory 4 - A Man They Call The Sage

    1. Tackle the Sage from above: When the sage takes off and this secondary objective appears, run after him but stay on the ground. He will go up a ladder at the far side of the open market, and at that point you will veer right running past some dancers and up a flight of stairs. You should see a hay cart in front of you, run to the right of that. In front of you will be dancers between two sets of stairs. The sage is going to run down the left part of these stairs, so hop up on the wall at the top of the stairs next to the dancers. As the Sage runs by, run along the wall and when you get to the end press to tackle him as he runs below you (if you are not running, you can't tackle).
    2. Use the pistol in combat: During this sequence you will be attacked multiple times by assassins. You need to fire the pistol once to complete the secondary objective. Although you don't need to actually hit anyone with it, obviously you will be better off if you do.

    Memory 5 - Claiming What's Due

    1. Stay out of combat: You will need to avoid being detected by the guards. If you see one turn yellow, hide quickly and stay put until he goes back to a non-alert status. If one turns red, you will have to reload a checkpoint if you want to complete the secondary objective. You can assassinate guards (and you will need to, especially for the other secondary objective) but no actual combat. Proceed towards the green objective circle and activate eagle vision to detect your target in gold. Whistle to get him to approach you while remaining hidden in the bushes. Assassinate him when he is close and loot him for the key he is carrying. There are multiple stalking zones you can move through, and feel free to assassinate any guards in your way. There are several snipers that you will need to be mindful of, but only one is of concern and he patrols a regular pattern. Sticking to the left you will pass a building and need to assassinate a patrolling guard. There is a cart angled near a wall, so when the sniper isn't looking, run up the cart and jump the wall, instantly hiding in the stalking zone to the left. Stay to the left and climb the tree in front of you, jumping over the wall and to your objective.
    2. Kill guards from stalking zones: You will need to kill three guards for this objective, which should not be an issue. You can get more than three throughout, but there are three right at the beginning of the restricted zone. Jump the fence and when the patrolling guard is walking away, assassinate the stationary guard. When the patrolling guard comes back, whistle to draw him close and assassinate him as well. As you proceed toward the objective there will be a third guard to your left. Move to a convenient stalking zone, whistle, and assassinate to complete the objective.

    Memory 6 - The Treasure Fleet

    1. Kill guards from behind corners: You will need to kill three of the guards while hiding behind corners. Approach a corner and walk into the wall to stick to it, and then whistle to attract a guard. When he is close enough, press to assassinate him. There are plenty of corners but only four guards, so take your time. If a guard is too far away for the whistle to attract him, wait until he patrols closer rather than charging forward.
    2. Free 23 pirates: In order to free 23 pirates you have to find them all. The sequence will end once you have 18 free, so the trick is to choose the last group correctly. The first group will be in front of you, so free them and then jump to the next ship ahead of you. This ship will also have only one group, so kill the guards and free the pirates, bringing you to twelve total. Move forward and again jump to the next ship, killing the five guards and freeing two pirates. At this point you need to climb up (there is a pulley to make it quicker) and jump to the ship to your side. Climb down to the deck and enter the hatch to free your last nine pirates.
  • Complete memory sequence 3.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed. There are fourteen optional objectives that you will want to complete as you are playing the sequence. If you miss them, you can reload a checkpoint if you are still within the mission, or replay the entire mission at any time from the menus.

    The optional objectives for each memory are listed below:

    Memory 1 - This Tyro Captain

    1. Shoot an iguana: Iguanas are the small lizards that are all over the island where this memory takes place. You will need to equip your pistol by pressing , hold down to aim, and pull to fire. If you are having trouble spotting them, activate eagle vision by clicking and they will be colored red and with a red dot over their head.
    2. Air assassinate an ocelot: Ocelots are small predatory cats and they can be seen patrolling relatively regular routes. Climb a tree near one of their patrol routes and wait for one to come close. Ensure you have your hidden blades equipped by pressing , and then press to assassinate when the ocelot gets a white outline indicating it is an active target in range. If you are having trouble spotting them, activate eagle vision by clicking and they will be colored red with a red dot over their head.

    Memory 2 - Now Hiring

    1. Disarm and kill guards: You will need to kill three guards with their own weapons. Start by selecting your bare fists by pressing and then wait for them to attack you. Press to counter and then press to disarm them. Immediately close with them and press repeatedly to attack until the guard is dead. At this point you will start over by dropping the weapon by pressing again. This can get slightly somewhat harder with the second and third guards if you are not fast enough because they may pick up one of the dropped weapons. If this happens, that becomes their weapon and you must drop yours and disarm them again.
    2. Shoot the rope to save the pirate: You have a limited time frame to do this in before the pirate gets hung. If you miss the window, restart the checkpoint and you will be at the bottom of the hill. Equip your pistol by pressing , aim with and fire at the rope above the pirate's head by pressing .

    Memory 3 - Prizes and Plunder

    1. Use a swivel to kill sailors: You will need to kill three sailors with one of the swivel guns mounted on the side of your ship. When you have crippled a ship, approach the side and hold down to board them. Instead of jumping across, approach the swivel gun and shoot it at the enemy sailors. The three kills do not all have to be with the same gun or even in the same boarding action. Each gun has five shots, but they have limited firing arcs and shoot in a ballistic path so aiming can take a little bit of practice.
    2. Plunder 20 rum: To plunder a ship you will need to cripple it and then either board it successfully to plunder all of its cargo or sink it to plunder half of it. To determine in advance what cargo a ship is carrying, press while at the wheel of the Jackdaw to activate your spyglass. Focusing on a ship will pop up a display on the right indicating the name and type of ship along with the cargo. To plunder 20 rum, find a ship carrying that much or more and successfully board or sink it. You can obtain the 20 rum across multiple ships if you wish.

    Memory 4 - Raise the Black Flag

    1. Plunder a hunter ship: Hunter ships will appear and aggressively attack you once your notoriety is indicated as at least one full crossed sword icon above your ship's health bar in the upper left. They have red sails and will be indicated with a red icon on your screen once they have spawned. To increase your notoriety, board or sink multiple ships.
    2. Plunder 30 sugar: To plunder a ship you will need to cripple it and then either board it successfully to plunder all of its cargo or sink it to plunder half of it. To determine in advance what cargo a ship is carrying, press while at the wheel of the Jackdaw to activate your spyglass. Focusing on a ship will pop up a display on the right indicating the name and type of ship along with the cargo. To plunder 30 sugar, find a ship carrying that much or more and successfully board or sink it. You can obtain the 30 sugar across multiple ships if you wish.

    Memory 5 - Sugarcane And Its Yields

    1. Sabotage alarm bells: Alarm bells are indicated on your map with a bell icon. To sabotage them, you will need to approach them and press . Note that you must be anonymous to do this. You will need to sabotage two alarm bells to satisfy this optional objective. You can find one directly as you exit your ship and another while eavesdropping.
    2. Stay out of combat: This refers to while on your ship, navigating between patrols. The enemies have a limited alert zone that is displayed on your mini-map in yellow. You are not timed on this part of the mission, so focus on staying out of any yellow zone. If you inadvertently end up in one, immediately go to full speed and get out of it as it does take several seconds for the enemy ships to detect you.

    Memory 6 - Proper Defenses

    1. Use one broadside to sink 2 boats: The best way to do this is to have two schooners very close to you so that you can use heavy shot on them. This has the advantage that it also will satisfy the other optional objective. You can slow them down with chain shot first from your forward facing cannon, which can be helpful since all of these ships are faster than the Jackdaw at this point. Upgrading your broadside before starting this mission is also a good idea as you will throw more weight when firing.
    2. Use heavy shot to sink ships: You have to have purchased the heavy shot upgrade prior to starting the mission for this optional objective to be possible. To fire regular shot you hold down to get your trajectory ghost image, and then press to actually fire. Heavy shot is fired by skipping the step and merely pulling . It is much shorter range and fires straight out from the side of the ship, but does significantly more damage. You will need to sink two ships with heavy shot to satisfy the optional objective.

    Memory 7 - A Single Madman

    1. Stay out of combat: Here is a step-by-step walk-through from Morbious17: When you start, you’ll have to scale a large structure. After doing so, you’ll eventually start to see enemies. Assassinating the first one is easy enough. When you come up to the next two, just speed walk up to them while staying out of their sight and assassinate them. You’ll continue on and see three more guards on your minimap. The one closest to you is set up to be assassinated from a tree. After dealing with him and heading towards the checkpoint you’ll see another guard who doesn’t ever turn around. You’ll see yet another lone guard up ahead who can be dispatched easily. You’ll come to a point where there are four guards. Get into the stalk zone and lure/assassinate the first three then walk up to the fourth and finish him off. The next section involves five guards: one sniper, two patrolling, and two stationary. You can deal with the two patrolling by waiting for the one in the back to get near the stalk zone then take out the remaining one. Next, you can speed walk into the nearby stalk zone. Don’t worry about the two guards in front of you noticing you. You’ll make it to the stalk zone before they start a conflict. Sneak past them and continue on to complete the objective.
    2. Air assassinate Du Casse: To air assassinate him, you will need to get into the rigging of the ship undetected. If you climb up the side of the ship and wait until Du Casse and his posse are walking away (they patrol along the edge of the ship) you can assassinate any guard near you by pulling him over the edge, and then climb into the rigging. Go up to the spar (horizontal beam coming off the mast) and wait for Du Casse to pass underneath you. Press to assassinate him. If you aren't sure which one he is, activate Eagle Vision by clicking and he will be highlighted in gold.

    At the end of this memory sequence, you will start the present day memory 2.

  • Complete memory sequence 4.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed. There are four optional objectives that you will want to complete as you are playing the sequence. If you miss them, you can reload a checkpoint if you are still within the mission, or replay the entire mission at any time from the menus.

    The optional objectives for each memory are listed below:

    Memory 1 - This Old Cove

    • There are no optional objectives in this memory.

    Kenway's Fleet is unlocked at the end of this memory.


    Memory 2 - Nothing is True...

    1. Knock out assassins: You will need to knock out three assassins to accomplish this objective. To knock someone out (as opposed to killing them) ensure that you select fists instead of a weapon by pressing . There are many more than three assassin's on this mission, so you can knock out the first three you come to by luring them into stalking zones with whistling. The first two are near the view point, and the next one is to the right of where you climb out of the water if you dive off of the view point (and you will want to synchronize to make the mission easier, so you may as well dive off as well).
    2. Loot treasure chests: You will need to loot four treasure chests to complete this objective. If you approach James too closely, it will start a cut scene and your opportunity will be lost. After synching at the view point mentioned above, all the chests will show up on your mini-map, so it is merely a matter of remaining undetected. One is past James, so stay well clear of him while getting it.

    Memory 3 - The Sage's Buried Secret

    • There are no optional objectives in this memory.

    Memory 4 - Overrun and Outnumbered

    1. Use sleep darts on guards: You will need to use sleep darts on 8 guards to satisfy this objective. If you run out of darts, your supply will be filled every time you free a group of assassins.
    2. Use berserk darts on guards: You will need to use berserk darts on 2 guards to satisfy this objective. If you run out of darts, your supply will be filled every time you free a group of assassins.
  • Complete memory sequence 5.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed. There are six secondary objectives that you will want to complete as you are playing the sequence. If you miss them, you can reload a checkpoint if you are still within the mission, or replay the entire mission at any time from the menus.

    The secondary objectives for each memory are listed below:

    Memory 1 - The Forts

    1. Use the mortar to damage the fort: You will need to have purchased the mortar upgrade prior to attacking the fort. If you failed to do so prior to starting the memory, you can enter the cabin of the Jackdaw and purchase it at the desk to the right as you enter. To fire the mortar, hold down and use to aim. When the impact zone turns red, pull to fire.
    2. Use a running assassinate to kill the officer: The officer will show up once you have docked at the fort after destroying its defenses. You will need to chase him down and as you get close to him hold to run and press when you get close enough so that you do a running assassinate. You will need to make sure you have equipped the hidden blades first or you may not get credit for the assassination.

    Memory 2 - Traveling Salesman

    1. Kill gunners: You will need to kill four gunners to satisfy this objective. Gunners are snipers who are typically on roofs or in towers. There are 6-7 that you will run across during the mission, so this shouldn't be a challenge. They show up as enemy icons with a cross-hair on them. I would advise against killing them with berserk darts as they have a tendency to shoot everyone in sight, including the folks you are trailing (which will end the memory and force you to restart).
    2. Kill guards stunned by smoke bombs: You will need to kill five guards while they are stunned by smoke bombs once this objective appears. There are is a cut scene where directly afterward five five guards attack you, but you can actually do the five at any time during the memory. If you get past the battle with the five guards and still need more, you will be in a chase scene. Near the beginning Kidd climbs on a roof and turns right, at which point you can see four guards in a cluster directly next to that building. A smoke bomb there and four quick assassinations can get you the rest.

    Memory 3 - Unmanned

    1. Use berserk darts on brutes: You will need to use berserk darts on two separate brutes to satisfy this objective. Brutes are the big guys that you can't attack normally, and can be identified by the big axes they carry. Early in the memory you will leap into a hay cart and two brutes will approach you side by side. You can shoot both of them from the cart to complete the objective.
    2. Use sleep darts on gunners: You will need to use sleep darts on two separate gunners. The gunners in this memory can be found in the watch towers, and the blow gun has enough range to hit them from the ground. Just be patient and shoot them from cover so that nobody else spots you. Be sure to move on before they wake up.
  • Complete memory sequence 6.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed. There are six optional objectives that you will want to complete as you are playing the sequence. If you miss them, you can reload a checkpoint if you are still within the mission, or replay the entire mission at any time from the menus. The optional objectives for each memory are listed below:

    Memory 1 - Diving For Medicines

    1. Loot treasure chests: You will need to loot 3 treasure chests. There are seven total in the memory, but one is really part of a cut scene and doesn't count. You only need to loot three of the others by swimming to them and pressing . There are three available in the first area where there are no sharks, so those are much easier to obtain. Once you open the glowing hatch and swim inside, you can't go back to that area.
    2. Avoid being attacked by a shark: Seaweed and wreckage are your friends. Sharks show detection signs similar to guards on land, with a yellow alert on the screen that slowly fills. If you see one pop up, head for cover immediately and wait for it to disappear.

    Memory 2 - Devil's Advocate

    1. Rescue survivors: You will need to rescue five survivors before reaching the main objective (which is a ship at anchor next to a small island). Survivors are shipwrecked sailors adrift at sea. They will show up on your mini-map and you can pick them up by steering close to them and pressing when prompted. There are many more than five on a direct path to the objective, although this may be somewhat random. If for some reason you haven't found five by the time you get close to the objective, circle around until you find five as there is no time restraint.
    2. Kill guards stunned by smoke bombs: You will need to kill three guards while they are stunned by smoke bombs. This should be pretty routine at this point: approach a guard (or a group of them), drop a smoke bomb, and press to assassinate them. Rinse and repeat until you have three.

    Memory 3 - The Siege of Charles-Towne

    1. Use sleep darts on crocodiles: Using your Eagle Vision is definitely key to staying alive in this mission, much less finding crocodiles to put to sleep. The crocodiles will be in red, and you will need to use sleep darts on three to satisfy the objective. Once you are walking/wading and this objective becomes active, I thought this was the hardest part of the entire game because the map becomes useless and you are wandering around in the dark trying to keep up with the targets you are trailing. The crocodiles weren't a problem, but getting lost and falling behind can be an issue.
    2. Skin a crocodile: As soon as you jump off the boat, there will be a crocodile right in front of you. Activate Eagle Vision to make this easier, and then shoot it with a sleep dart, approach it at a run (because you are in a hurry, after all) and press to skin it. Easiest optional objective in the game.

    At the end of this sequence, you will be pulled out of the animus and start present day mission 3.
     

  • Complete memory sequence 7.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed. There are eight optional objectives that you will want to complete as you are playing the sequence. If you miss them, you can reload a checkpoint if you are still within the mission, or replay the entire mission at any time from the menus. The optional objectives for each memory are listed below:

    Memory 1 - We Demand A Parlay

    1. Sabotage the alarm bell: Once you are on the walkway on top of the walls of the fort, use your map to spot the alarm bell. There are several guards and a gunner you may want to take out first, but when you approach it press to sabotage it. Remember that you must be anonymous before you can do so!
    2. Kill guards while hanging from a ledge: You will infiltrate the fort in the same manner you did previously, along the left outside edge. You will need to kill three guards while hanging from a ledge, and fortunately there are three within easy reach as you get to the top. The first will be as you first reach the top of your climb, so press to pull him off the ledge. Keep going to your left and up and there will be two more at the top of the corner tower that you can pull off as well.

    Memory 2 - The Gunpowder Plot

    1. Kill 4 guards in one kill streak: There are many methods you can use to accomplish this but the easiest by far is to use the blowpipe with sleep darts on four guards in quick succession. The sleep dart counts as a kill and the reload rate is very fast. Note that shooting four guards with pistols does NOT count, despite them being quite a bit more dead than using the sleep dart on them.
    2. Use blowpipe darts on guards: You will need to hit ten separate guards with your blowpipe. If you don't have ten darts, access your crafting menu to see if you can make more. If not, abort the mission and go shopping! As long as you have enough darts, this is a very easy objective.

    Memory 3 - Commodore Eighty-Sixed

    1. Kill guards from stalking zones: You will need to kill three guards from stalking zones while staying out of sight of the targets you are following. You have the opportunity to kill 8 or 9 throughout this portion of the mission, so it shouldn't pose any challenges. Target isolated guards rather than pairs to make it easier.
    2. Air assassinate Chamberlaine: You will need to climb the rigging and assassinate Chamberlaine from a spar to complete this objective. The easiest path is the back of the ship where you can assassinate the guards by dragging them over the ledge (or even just engaging them in combat if you are fast) and then climbing the rigging or rear mast. Wait for Chamberlaine to pass underneath you and become highlighted in white, then press to assassinate him.

    Memory 4 - The Fireship

    1. Use the mortar to sink ships: This mission is one of the reasons the road map suggest fully upgrading your ship after Sequence 6, Memory 1. If you are upgraded, this is an extremely easy memory. You will need to sink three ships with your mortar while staying close to the ship you are escorting. To fire the mortar, hold , use to aim, and to fire.
    2. Use barrels to sink a ship: You only need to sink one with barrels, and you only have to do the last bit of damage with barrels. Fire barrels off the ship by turning to look behind the ship, and then pressing . The good part is that many of the enemy ships are pretty weak, and they tend to cluster around your ally ship. The bad news is that your barrels can damage your ally, so don't drop them directly in front of him. You may want to focus on this objective before you start dropping mortar shells on ships simply to have more targets who may run into your barrels. One approach if you are having problems is simple to close on your ally and spam all of your barrels into his wake. If you don't get a kill within 60 seconds or so of running out of barrels, restart the memory.

     

  • Adrift

     

    20

    Complete memory sequence 8.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed. There are six optional objectives that you will want to complete as you are playing the sequence. If you miss them, you can reload a checkpoint if you are still within the mission, or replay the entire mission at any time from the menus. The optional objectives for each memory are listed below:

    Memory 1 - Do Not Go Gently...

    1. Use heavy shot to incapacitate the Man O' War: You will need to use heavy shot to deal the final blow to the Man O' War. You can use any other weapons to lower its health as long as it is still alive. Heavy shots are fired from your deck cannon by looking either left or right and pulling without holding down to aim. They are much shorter ranged than normal shot and shoot straight out from the sides of the ship.
    2. Kill guards: You will need to kill four guards to complete this objective. When this optional objective becomes active, you will have a guard directly to your front who is an easy assassination. Go toward your targets and hide in the stalking zone until the targets and nearby guard are looking away from you, then assassinate that guard. There is a third guard outside the building as you are following your targets, and another inside and to the left.

    Memory 2 - Vainglorious Bastards

    1. Damage the Royal African Pearl with an upgraded ram: You will need to steer the Jackdaw directly into the Pearl to damage her with your ram. You also have to have upgraded the ram to either the reinforced ram, advanced ram, or elite ram. If you have been following the road map, this will have been done back in Sequence 6 and should not be an issue. After rescuing Vane, both optional objectives will activate and the Pearl will be directly ahead and to your left. Go to full speed and aim for the middle of the ship. Note that if you have an elite ram, this will reduce the Pearl's health to almost zero. Do not board her until you complete the second optional objective!
    2. Use the fort's defenses to sink a ship: If you are following the road map you will have captured Fort Cabo de Cruz and this should be reasonably easy. There are several enemy ships directly north of you who will be engaging you, and the fort should attack them without delay. If for some reason it doesn't, steer towards them and get them chasing you in a circle so the mortars from the fort have a better chance of hitting them. If you have not captured the fort, you can take much the same approach, but will likely need to get the ships to chase you toward the fort. Feel free to disable the Pearl first, but don't board her until this is marked complete.

    Memory 3 - Marooned

    1. Not an optional memory, but if you have the treasure map for the elite fire barrel storage plan, it is right at the beginning of this memory to your left as you start.
    2. Skin animals: You will need to skin 3 animals to complete this secondary objective. There are several animal spawn points along your path, but I recommend getting it out of the way at the first one. As you leave the beach, a black jaguar will spawn on the path. Kill and skin it, then return to the beach. Rinse and repeat until you have skinned three of them. You can beat them in the minigame, or hide in the stalking zone and whistle to attract it. You have no ranged weapons, so not a lot of other choices.
    3. Air assassinate Vane: Once this optional objective activates, you will need to climb up the right and back side of the structure he is yelling at you from. There is a viewpoint at the top for easy reference, so aim to get up to the viewpoint, synchronize, and then assassinate Vane with your hidden blades.
  • Complete memory sequence 9.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed. There are four optional objectives that you will want to complete as you are playing the sequence. If you miss them, you can reload a checkpoint if you are still within the mission, or replay the entire mission at any time from the menus. The optional objectives for each memory are listed below:

    Memory 1 - Imagine My Surprise

    1. Kill brutes: You will need to kill four brutes to complete this optional objective. This is much easier if you do it before you start trailing your targets. Stay away from the middle of the green zone when you first start the mission to help minimize the chance of spotting your targets. Since you are trying to stay stealthy, the best approach is to sneak up behind them in a stalking zone. If shoot them with a berserk dart they will be killed by one of the gunners and the kill will not count toward the four you need. Brutes can be found near the first alarm bell you will need to sabotage for the objective below, in the center of your search zone where the road splits, circling some bushes just north of the road split, and all the way in the northwest portion of the green search zone you can find two brutes guarding an entrance to the courtyard. If you accidentally spot the targets before killing four of them, there will be a big rumble at the end where you can kill some, but obviously doing so by stealth is much easier.
    2. Sabotage alarm bells: There are three bells on this mission, but you only need to sabotage two of them for the objective. The first will be almost directly in front of you as you enter the courtyard where you are tryigg to locate Hornigold and Rogers. There is another directly to the east on the other side of a shed. The third one is due north of the second, about 3/4 of the way up the search zone, and directly north of Hornigold and Rogers.

    Memory 2 - Trust is Earned

    1. Double assassinate Cockram and Burgess: You will want to free the pirates in the upper level of the map before going after Cockram and Burgess, since killing them ends the memory. Once you have completed the other objective, go to the viewpoint at the top of the guard building where a gunner is (or was, you may have had to kill him to free the pirates). Synchronize and jump, landing in a hay cart. Assassinate the guard to the right by the stalking zone, and at this point you have two approaches you can take. Option 1: run across the road to the stalking zone on the other side. Look north and you should see two guards standing between some buildings. You want to kill them since they will escort Cockram and Burgess if you don't. Two berserk darts would work, or you can go around behind them and assassinate them. Once they are dead, you can wait in the stalking zone you spotted them from for Cockram and Burgess and they will walk right in front of you. Step out behind them and double assassinate them by pressing . You may need to fast walk momentarily until they are both glimmering. Option 2: go south and climb up the first building, then jump onto the branch pointing south from the tree you just ran past. Wait there for your targets and when they get close, run out on the branch pointing east that hangs over the dirt path and double assassinate from there.
    2. Free pirates: There are two groups of pirates to be freed. One group is in an enclosure, and the other is up on the edge of a cliff near a viewpoint. You need to do this mostly via stealth since if the gunners guarding the pirates get alerted they will shoot the pirates. Start to the right and use the stalk zones and whistling to take out the guards there. Run to the guard house with the viewpoint and pull the gunner off the top to kill him. He may survive, in which case drop back down and kill him. Stay to the right and you can approach the gunners on the cliff edge from behind, performing a double assassination. Now go to the left toward the other pirates, staying near the cliff edge. Kill the odd guard or two along the way, and you will want to jump from a platform to the edge of a building that sticks out and has a gunner on it. Assassinate him, and wait for the patrolling guard below and to your left to walk towards the left corner underneath you. Jump down and assassinate him, and then shoot the guard near the opening with a sleep dart. You can then walk down into the stalking zone and assassinate the guard there, then kill the gunners watching the pirates. Remember to approach the pirates and press to actually release them.
  • Complete memory sequence 10.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed. There are six optional objectives that you will want to complete as you are playing the sequence. If you miss them, you can reload a checkpoint if you are still within the mission, or replay the entire mission at any time from the menus. The optional objectives for each memory are listed below:

    Memory 1 - Black Bart's Gambit

    • Stay out of combat: A very detailed walk-through has been provided by Morbious17 and is quoted in full below. One other piece of advice from Capn Doug is to use berserk darts to clear out enemies.
    Originally Posted by Morbious17
    We haven’t had one of these in a while. What I did was swim around the front of the ship so the gunner was facing away from me and climb up the shroud. (be careful of the guy on the other mast. You might have to dart him.) After getting the flag, I dove straight into the water holding until I was close to my ship.

    From this point all you have to do is sail onwards without attacking or hitting other ships. When you stop again, dive into the water and run up on the beach on the far right side into the stalk zone. Run into the next stalk zone when no one is looking. You’ll see two stationary guys blocking your path. Get as close as you can without leaving the stalk zone and whistle. This will bring them both to you. Get back and wait for one or both to turn around then assassinate the closest one. Either whistle or walk up and assassinate the other.

    Going the way they were facing and to the left is another stalk zone, go there. Looking around, you’ll see some more stalk zones. Go to the leftmost one when you get a chance. Stay on the far right side of this zone as two guards will walk through it. When they head towards the direction you came from, run to the next stalk zone and again to the one ahead of this one when you get the chance. Whistle to get the officer to come to you then take him out. Do the same for the brute when he gets close. Loot the chest then go back to the stalk zone. Your ship will arrive so swim out to it. Stealth swim if necessary.

    Sail to the objective and avoid hitting any ships. When you have to stop yet again, jump into the water and swim directly to the first tower. Run into the nearby stalk zone when no one is looking. Whistle to lure guards and maneuver around the bush as necessary. When everyone heads back to their post, pick one off. Repeat until you can safely climb up the ladder. Go up to the top then press left when at the top to shimmy a bit. Climb up and position yourself to double assassinate the guards.

    From the top of this tower, turn around and leap into the trees. Go towards the next tower and you will come to an angled tree leading into a stalk zone. Enter when the five patrolling guards are facing away. From here, maneuver through the stalk zones to the left side of the rock formations. Follow the beach to come to a narrow stalk zone. Wait here until the guard above is going away from you then assassinate him. Now go climb up the tower and assassinate the lone guard.
    • Use a rope swing to kill the captain: If you follow the guidance above, after you assassinate the last guard in the tower there should be a glowing rope in front of you. Tou can do this from the ground below as well, just stay to the right as you approach the Man o' War and you will see a rope you can use to swing out towards the boat. Either way, the captain will have a red objective dot above his head and you can also use Eagle Vision to identify him if you wish. Wait for his pacing to bring him in line with the rope, then hold to swing and when you get close to the captain press to assassinate him. It may be helpful to curve your swing with to improve your ability to get the rope swing assassination.

    Memory 2 - Murder and Mayhem

    1. Stay out of combat while finding Hornigold: You will need to stay out of the detection zones of other ships until you find the ship Hornigold is on. It will be a schooner forward and to the left from your starting point. Use the to activate the looking glass and identify him from as far away as possible to complete the objective and be able to stop worrying about the other ships.
    2. Air assassinate Hornigold: You will have to fight your way across the island to get to Hornigold, and ultimately climb a hill and use a tree to get to the hill he is actually on. At that point it is merely a matter of getting above him and pressing . Sleep darts are very handy on the last part of this mission since Hornigold has some bodyguards with him and you don't want to accidentally kill him while fighting them.

    Memory 3 - The Observatory

    1. Incapacitate all guardians while unarmed: You can select your fists by pressing , and then when you press you will choke them unconscious rather than killing them. You can use sleep darts on them without penalty, although it won't count as incapacitating them until you approach them and knock them out by pressing .
    2. Incapacitate guardians from stalking zones: You will need to incapacitate five guardians from stalking zones to complete this objective. Since you are trying to incapacitate all of them while unarmed for the other optional objective, this one should come naturally. Note that if you use sleep darts on a guardian, position yourself near them and wait for them to wake up before knocking them out or it will not count for this optional objective.

    At the end of this memory sequence, you will be pulled out of the animus and start present day mission four.

  • Complete memory sequence 11.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed. There are four optional objectives that you will want to complete as you are playing the sequence. If you miss them, you can reload a checkpoint if you are still within the mission, or replay the entire mission at any time from the menus. The optional objectives for each memory are listed below:

    Memory 1 - To Suffer Without Dying
     

    1. Sabotage alarm bells: You will need to sabotage three alarm bells for this objective to be satisfied. One alarm bell is directly in front of you at the start, with the next one directly to the southwest by a well, and the last one directly south of the viewpoint. If you are having trouble finding them, synchronize at the viewpoint in the middle of the restricted zone. Probably a good idea to take the gunner out with a dart before climbing up there though.
    2. Visit old friends: Southwest of the viewpoint in the restricted zone is an animus fragment. Next two the fragment are two cages suspended in the air, one of which contains a corpse. Approach the corpse and press to interact with the first old friend. Once you enter the prison, the first room you enter will have four guards. Kill them and Vane can be found in a corner cell to your right as you enter the room. Press to interact with him and complete the objective.

    Memory 2 - Delirium

    • There are no optional objectives in this memory

    Memory 3 - ...Everything Is Permitted

    1. Use the rope dart to hang guards: You will need to hang two guards with the rope dart. The game provides a tutorial for the first one. After that, stay in the trees and get one more to complete the objective.
    2. Use the rope dart to pull guards: When on the ground you can shoot the rope dart with and just pull an enemy toward you by pressing down on . You will need to pull three separate guards and the optional objective will be complete!
  • Complete memory sequence 12.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed. There are eight optional objectives that you will want to complete as you are playing the sequence. If you miss them, you can reload a checkpoint if you are still within the mission, or replay the entire mission at any time from the menus. The optional objectives for each memory are listed below:

    Memory 1 - A Governor No Longer

    1. Kill the diplomat from a haystack: As soon as you start tailing the targets, open the map menu and find the closest restricted zone in red. There is a haystack there that you will need to get to before the diplomat does. You can't get too far ahead without desynchronizing, but since you know where they are headed you can definitely get a head start. When they walk by, kill the diplomat from the haystack by pressing .
    2. Kill Rogers from a bench: At the party, immediately turn left and you will see a covered walkway with a bench and two people on it. Sit there and ensure that you have your hidden blade equipped. Rogers will circle around talking it up like a good host and will pass you from your left for an easy kill.

    Memory 2 - Royal Misfortune

    1. Use the rope dart to kill Roberts: You don't need to necessarily hang Roberts with the rope dart, although you can. You can also hit him with a rope dart and keep holding down while moving away from him which will choke him to death. Alternately, you can hit him with several rope darts and they will do enough damage to kill him. To hang him, get up in the rigging after you board his ship and stand on the lowest spar with the rope dart selected, and press and hold when he glimmers, and then press down on the to initiate the cut scene.
    2. Kill guards by destroying powder barrels: You will need to kill eight guards by blowing up the red powder barrels. There are many of them around so you can do it piecemeal by blowing up one or two at a time as they patrol past a barrel, or you can stir them up, get a good bunch chasing you, and then drop a smoke bomb when you are next to a powder barrel, back off a bit, and shoot the barrel. You will need to complete this objective before you kill Roberts.

    Memory 3 - Tainted Blood

    1. Use guards as a human shield: You will need to use guards as a human shield twice for this optional objective. When El Tiburon is aiming at you there will be an alert on the screen showing about a 2 second window before he fires. If you can approach a guard in that time you have the option to press to use them as a human shield. This objective is active during the fight with El Tiburon. Once you have finished the optional objective, then you can start shooting El Tiburon to finish the fight.
    2. Stay out of combat: You can assassinate guards, but if you get detected the objective is failed. Start out to the right side of the fort and swim over to the dock, staying between the boat and the dock until the patrolling brute reaches the end of the dock closest to the shore. Hop up and assassinate him from behind then run up the stairs to the door and assassinate the guard at the top of the stairs. Once inside, peek around the corner and whistle to attract and assassinate the brute inside. Approach the next room and double assassinate the guards just inside the doorway. Jump out the window and climb up when you pass the vines hanging down. Pull the guard off the edge and then go right and kill the gunner. There is a patrolling guard you can kill by hiding on the corner of the first set of boxes and whistling for him. Your target is the red dot patrolling below in the courtyard, so wait for him to be walking beneath you and air assassinate him.

    Memory 4 - Ever A Splinter

    1. Free the guardian hostages: When you enter the restricted area watch for enemies in groups of two or three. They will be holding guardians hostage and if they detect you, they will shoot the guardians. You have to rescue all seven guardians for the objective to be completed. Using berserk or sleep darts are a good approach if you don't have a convenient stalking zone. The first two groups of hostages have two each, and the last one has three. After killing each set of guards, remember to approach the guardians and press to free them.
    2. Use the Observatory's defenses to kill guards: When you start fighting guards inside, there is a glowing x-shaped mark on the floor. This will kill you if you stop on it while it sends up sheets of mystic flame. For this optional objective, you will want to throw guards into it while it is lit up, killing them. When they attack you, counter with and then throw them by pressing again. You will need to kill four guards this way to satisfy the objective.

    At the end of this sequence, you will be pulled out of the animus to complete present day mission 5.

  • Complete memory sequence 13.

    This is a story related achievement that can't be missed, and is comprised mostly of cut scenes.

    Memory 1 - ...The End

    • There are no optional objectives in this memory.
  • Complete 100% of all main mission constraints.

    You will need to complete all of the secondary objectives for each memory in the campaign. See the guide for each sequence for input on how to accomplish this. There is also a thorough walk through from another viewpoint that was written by Morbious17, available here.

    The achievement will unlock once all of the secondary objectives are completed along with the final mission.

  • Kill a guard ringing a bell.

    This can be done at any time in the game, free roam or during a mission. Because alerting the guards during a mission is generally a bad thing, aim to do this during free roam. One location that is not overly difficult is Tortuga (882, 370). Travel there and locate the only viewpoint on the island. It is on a building that has an alarm bell just to the east of it. Sneak in and get close to that bell, then let a guard detect you. He should run up to the alarm bell and start ringing it, so step up behind him and press to assassinate him. You can then jump in the water to evade any pursuit or battle it out with any nearby soldiers.

    Note that you need to let him actually ring the bell at least once before you assassinate the soldier for the achievement to unlock. If he has yet to grasp the rope, it won't count. You also need to kill him in one blow as otherwise he will stop ringing the bell and defend himself or attack you, and it won't count for the achievement.

  • Owned

     

    10

    Complete every activity in a single location.

    This will unlock when you have completed every activity in a location. By activity, the game is referencing anything that shows up on the main map when you move the pointer to a location, or if you are in the location, anything that shows up when you hold down . Most locations will have a variety of activities, and it is quite possible that you will complete every activity at a large number of locations as you play the game. If you are looking for this early on, one easy spot to earn it is at Gibara (657, 521) which is one of the easier forts to capture and only has five activities. If you having the diving bell you can also go to San Juan (479, 487) which also only has five activities and should offer no particular challenges.

  • Unlock the secret door in Tulum.

    The secret door is hidden in a tunnel at Tulum (70, 405). In order to unlock it, you will need to collect all 16 Mayan Stelae which are buried around the map. Fortunately, they are marked and it is mostly a matter of traveling to the locations for each one. When you reach a location that has a Mayan Stelae, there will be a totem pole-like structure to climb, and at the top you will need to press to interact with it. This will activate a mini-game where you need to align three white shapes with nearby terrain features and is mostly a matter of rotating until it clicks into place. When that is done correctly, you will reveal the exact location of the buried Mayan Stelae. Go to the indicated spot and press to dig it up.

    The 15 Stelae not obtained in story mode are located as indicated below:

    • Cape Bonavista (179, 593)
    • Cat Island (742, 695)
    • Great Inagua (845, 468)
    • Isla Providencia (502, 44) - 2 Stelae
    • Long Bay (525, 253)
    • Matanzas (333, 650)
    • Misteriosa (307, 195) - 2 Stelae
    • New Bone (442, 118)
    • Santanillas (217, 250) - 2 Stelae
    • Tortuga (882, 370)
    • Tulum (70, 405)

    After you have all 16 you can enter the tunnels underneath the only viewpoint at Tulum and use the Mayan Stelae to open the secret door. Once you have opened it once, it will never open again.

    Here is a video showing the locations of each Mayan Stelae and the secret door:

  • Harpoon a killer whale.

    Killer whales are one of the toughest animals to hunt, so ensure that you have fully upgraded your rowboat armor, harpoon strength, and harpoon storage. There are two on the map and will be indicated by a white icon that is a silhouette of a killer whale. The locations are (582, 338) and (120, 496).

    When you are on location you can hold down to initiate the harpooning mini-game. If you fail, you can restart over and over again until you are successful without any type of penalty. Pay attention to your crew in the boat as they will warn you before the killer whale is going to hit the rowboat. If you successfully stick the killer whale with a harpoon it will interrupt his attack. The achievement will unlock at the cut scene as the killer whale floats to the surface.

  • Complete a Templar Hunt sequence.

    There are four Templar Hunt sequences available in the game, indicated on your map with the Assassin's Creed emblem. Each Templar Hunt sequence consists of multiple events that are either combat or stealth oriented. You only need to complete one sequence for the achievement.

    A Templar Hunt appears on the mini-map with an icon that looks like the Assassin’s Creed icon. There are four sequences available, but you only need to complete one for this achievement. Each sequence is made up of three missions that include several different types of objectives. At the end of each complete sequence you will be awarded a key. If you obtain all keys, there is an outfit in your manor that you can unlock.

    Here are the starting locations for the Templar Hunt sequences. Each mission will then start at a different location until the sequence is completed.

    • Cayman Sound (327,334)
    • Havana (240, 607)
    • Kingston (623,172)
    • Nassau (633,784)
  • Complete all naval contracts.

    Naval contracts are quests found at forts after you capture them. Each fort has an agent who stands on or near the dock and will give you the naval contract. Many of them are simply to destroy or capture a particular ship, and none of them are difficult especially if you have upgraded the Jackdaw. Note that Chinchorro (124, 357) has two contracts to fulfill.

    The final naval contract at Serranilla (347, 140) is not available until all the others are completed, so if you capture that fort and there are no naval contracts, come back after you have captured all other forts and completed the naval contracts at those locations.

  • Capture all forts.

    There are eleven forts to capture in the game, but only ten count for this achievement. On the map they will be red tower icons (green if you have already captured them). Generally, the further north and east you are, the easier the fort is to defeat. Upgrading the Jackdaw is essential to defeating them, especially your mortars. The forts will try to hit you with their mortars, so frequently changing direction is essential. Many of them will also have ships defending them, although that can be useful as you can cripple and board them and then use them to repair the Jackdaw mid-battle if needed.

    Once the defenses of a fort are down, you will need to dock the Jackdaw and go ashore. There will be several officers to kill in the middle of a lot of regular soldiers. You can ignore the soldiers but will need to kill the officers and then go to a door and become anonymous to open it, at which point you can walk in and kill the commander (who just stands there and doesn't resist). At that point you will have visibility into a section of the map with all locations visible. You will also be able to repair the Jackdaw, recruit crewman, buy ammunition, and access a naval contract at the fort.

    The forts are located at the positions below, along with the difficulty rating assigned by the developers:

    • Fort Castillo de Jagua (356, 559) - medium
    • Fort Charlotte (470, 272) - hard
    • Fort Chinchorro (124, 357) - hard
    • Fort Conttoyor (102, 547) - medium
    • Fort Cabo de Cruz (566, 390) - medium
    • Fort Dry Tortuga (254, 749) - easy
    • Fort Eleuthera (726, 784) - easy
    • Fort Gibara (657, 521) - easy ** This is a good choice for unlocking Owned if you have yet to do so as it only has two chests, two animus fragments, and one naval contract which is quite fast.
    • Fort Navassa (728, 219) - medium
    • Fort Serranilla (347, 140) - hard

    The fort that does not count for this achievement is Fort Punta Guarico (776, 399), which is captured during Sequence 5, Memory 1: The Forts.

  • Complete 25 Abstergo challenges.

    There are 100 Abstergo challenges in the game, but you only need to complete 25 for this achievement. To view challenges, access the menu and scroll down to "Abstergo challenges". The central display will tell you how many you have completed. Press and on the left the challenges are sorted into categories such as Explorer and Hunter and Simulation. Playing through the story mode and exploring a bit, along with maxing out Kenway's Fleet, should result in completing 60-70 challenges without particularly trying.

  • Earn 50,000 reales.

    All money earned from selling cargo and Kenway's Fleet counts toward this goal. Stealing, looting chests, and capturing gold from ships does not count. However, you can easily earn over one million from Kenway's Fleet alone during the game, so this should not be a particular worrisome achievement.

  • Swim a total of 1 nmi.

    It is likely not possible to complete the game without swimming far more than this. All time in the water counts, submerged or on the surface. If for some reason you manage to complete everything else and don't have this unlocked, you can swim circles around your ship until it does.

  • Craft the Hunter outfit.

    The Hunter outfit is able to be crafted after you have acquired a Red Howler Monkey skin and a White Jaguar pelt. They can be purchased for 5,000R and 6,000R respectively at the General Store, or you can kill and skin them in the wild if you can find them. You will run into both during campaign missions, so it is quite possible to complete without spending money, but 11,000R is pretty small change once you have Kenway's Fleet going at strength.

    The crafting menu is accessed via the menu button, then scroll down to Crafting and press . The hunter outfit is the fourth option from the bottom, directly above the various darts you can craft.

  • Plunder 30 ships.

    When piloting the Jackdaw, you will have plenty of opportunity to attack other ships. Once they are crippled you have two choices:

    • You can continue to damage them and they will sink, leaving half of their loot to be plundered.
    • You can board them by closing and holding and as long as you successfully complete the objectives which vary based on the size of the opponent, then you will capture all of their loot. Once you progress far enough into the story you will then also have the options of using their ship to repair the Jackdaw or send the ship to join Kenway's Fleet.

    Which choice you make doesn't matter, either way it will count toward the plundering requirement. You will likely plunder hundreds of ships throughout the game, so this will unlock relatively early.

  • Defeat all 4 legendary ships.

    The four legendary ships are located in the corners of the map and are quite difficult enemies. It is strongly recommended that you have the Jackdaw fully upgraded prior to attempting these battles. Also, as a rule you will want to avoid closing in to very short ranges with them because they are quite capable of mortaring themselves, and if they sink themselves as a result the kill does not count and you will have to start a fresh game and go completely through everything to try it again. This achievement also is just plain glitchy for some people, so if you have the ability to back up your save before attempting this achievement, it is highly recommended. You will also want to ensure that the Jackdaw is fully repaired and stocked on ammunition before each battle.

    Note that all of the Legendary ships are faster and more maneuverable than you are. Change your speed to only one sail if you need to turn, and when aiming your mortar ensure you are shooting in front of them. Avoid their broadsides as they are devastating!
     

    • HMS Prince aka Ghost Ship (895, 64), revealed when Fort Navassa (728, 219) is captured. This is the easiest of the legendary ships, and is really just a Man o' War that is slightly faster than normal. Mortar and long range cannon fire should take the Prince down with no real issues.
    • La Dama Negra (289, 67), revealed when Fort Serranilla (347, 140) is captured. This ship can only be damaged by shooting the rear of the ship, so mortars are useless. The trick is to get behind her and stun her with your forward chain shot, which slows her down and/or stops her, then ram her, turn and put heavy shot into the rear, followed by the swivel guns.
    • El Impoluto (199, 894), revealed when Fort Dry Tortuga (254, 749) is captured. She will try to ram you as much as possible. Hit her with mortars from far away, and take her head on. If you can hit her with your forward chain guns twice before she hits you, she will be at an almost complete stop and do little or no damage. Pound her with your heavy cannon as she goes by, and then follow up with the swivel guns. You also can place fire barrels behind you if you have time for extra damage.
    • Royal Sovereign and HMS Fearless aka The Brothers-In-Arms (871, 808), revealed when Fort Eleuthera (726, 784) is captured. Try to damage them both equally, because when one sinks the other will start ramming you and is very difficult to avoid. Mortars are your friend, and make sure to dodge as best you can. They will both try to mortar you frequently, but they also will shoot each other with their cannons on occasion, and ram each other for more damage.

    For the first three Legendary ships, an alternate approach is to board them and kill all their crew. The game won't actually let you release the wheel once you have started the battle, so you have to time things carefully. When your attention is first pointed to the legendary ship, use to tag the ship and approach it at full sail (your middle speed). When you get to around 590 meters, release the wheel by pressing twice and then holding it down. The idea is to enter the cut scene but not at the wheel of your ship. As long as you don't touch the wheel again, the Legendary ship won't shoot at you. You can't board them from the ocean, but you can wait in your rigging and jump aboard when they get close. If you choose to do this, the La Dama Negra actually has an invisible force field all over her, but you can shoot through parts of it. Even if you don't get a red aiming circle, shoot anyway and the nearby soldiers will jump overboard and die. Once all the enemy crew is dead, swim back to your ship and fire one shot to sink the Legendary ship. With La Dama Negra, the shot will have to be on the rear as it is invulnerable everywhere else.

  • Fully upgrade the Jackdaw.

    To fully upgrade the Jackdaw will take a lot of resources and a lot of money. It also will require you to find the plans for each of the elite upgrades to your various types of equipment. Maps are displayed on the location summary screen as part of the unknown collectibles and indicated with a question mark. As an example, Long Bay found in the middle of the map at location (525, 253), shows a total of 14 collectibles: 8 chests, 5 animus fragments (indicated as diamonds) and 1 question mark, or unknown collectible. The unknown collectibles are treasure maps, manuscripts, and letters. Letters and manuscripts add potentially interesting information to your database, while treasure maps will lead you to various treasure stores and blueprints. In each location, they are indicated on the map as a glass bottle with a cork in it, a map with a red x, or a piece of paper. The maps to where the blueprints are located can be found as indicated below:
     

    • elite hull armor: These plans are not tied to a treasure map; instead they are found in a chest in the San Ignacio Wreck (379,770). The plan is found to the northwest of the diving bell next to an animus fragment.
    • elite broadside cannons: These plans are not tied to a treasure map; instead they are found in a chest in The Blue Hole (471,170). When you first submerge, it is the chest farthest from the diving bell.
    • elite ram strength: These plans are not tied to a treasure map; instead they are found in a chest in the La Concepcion Wreck (181, 296). The chest is in a wreck near the diving bell, and is one of the three closest chests when you first access the wreck. ** unobtainable until after Sequence 6 Memory 1
    • elite round shot strength: These plans are not tied to a treasure map, instead they are found by diving at Kabah Ruins (769, 145). They are in the chest that is in the tall structure nearest the diving bell, second closest chest on the map and one floor below an animus fragment.
    • elite mortar shot: These plans are not tied to a treasure map, instead they are found by diving at the Antocha Wreck (630,660). The plan is in the captain's cabin of the wreck, and is the chest placed farthest east from the diving bell.
    • elite swivel strength: These plans are not tied to a treasure map, instead they are found in a chest in the Devil's Eye Caverns (487, 357). You have to progress all the way through the dive site; when you emerge from the water into a small dry tunnel area, the plans are in one of the two chests on dry land. ** unobtainable until after Sequence 6 Memory 1
    • elite heavy shot: treasure map is found at Ambergris Key (55, 178), sends you to Misteriosa (307, 195)
    • elite fire barrel strength: treasure map is found at Santanillas (217, 250), sends you to San Juan (479, 487)
    • elite mortar storage: treasure map is found at Tortuga (882, 370), sends you to Matanzas (333, 650)
    • elite heavy shot storage: treasure map is found at Cayman Sound (327, 334), sends you to Petite Cavern (901, 263)
    • elite fire barrel storage: treasure map is found via Kenway's Fleet and sends you to Isla Providencia (502, 44) ** unobtainable until the start of Sequence 8 Memory 3
    • elite harpoon strength: treasure map is found at Mariguana Island (880, 544), sends you to Andreas Island (579, 720)

    Once you have the plans, they will show a map location number in the lower right corner (as referenced above). Travel to that location and equip your map. When you look at it, it should have some clearly identifiable landmarks that you will need to find, with an X marking the spot of the treasure in question. When you locate the correct spot, walk up to it and you should see a prompt to push . Doing so will dig up the treasure.

    After obtaining each plan, you will also need the resources to pay for it. The elite plans tend to require a lot of money and a lot of another resource, especially metal. You can build them from the cabin of the Jackdaw using the desk to the right as you enter, or from the pause menu by selecting "Jackdaw upgrades." Metal is plundered from enemy ships; generally speaking, the further southwest you are on the map, the stronger the ships and the bigger the reward for capturing them. You also can raise your wanted level by plundering ships and as it goes higher and higher you will get Hunter ships chasing you who will carry more and more metal as your wanted level increases.

  • Explore all underwater shipwrecks.

    Shipwrecks become available for exploration after Sequence 6 Memory 1 when you acquire a diving bell. To explore them you merely need to dive and then come back to the surface. You don't actually have to swim through and fully explore each one, although often a good bit of treasure can be found at them. The San Ignacio Wreck (379, 770) is the story related shipwreck, and all the others are listed below. The shipwrecks are indicated on the map as buoys.

    • Ambergris Key (55, 178)
    • Antocha Wreck (630, 660)
    • Devil's Eye Caverns (487, 357)
    • Kabah Ruins (769, 145)
    • La Concepcion Wreck (181, 296)
    • The Black Trench (215, 449)
    • The Blue Hole (471, 170)

    Note that there are two other locations that require the diving bell to access, but do not count for this achievement:

    • Anotto Bay
    • San Juan
  • Barfly

     

    30

    Unlock all taverns.

    There are eight taverns in the game, and each one initially is occupied by some local thugs. When you access the tavern, you will be placed into an unarmed combat situation against four of the thugs. They will attack one at a time, so countering and pressing to knock them out is the fastest way to complete the minigame. Once that is done, the tavern is unlocked and you can get drunk, play checkers as a gambling game, or recruit crewmen.

    The taverns are located in the following towns, and will show up on the mini-map as a building with the letter T in it.

    • Andreas Island (579, 720)
    • Arroyos (192, 563)
    • Corozal (42, 268)
    • Crooked Island (807, 541)
    • Ile à Vache (843, 140)
    • Grand Cayman (397, 324)
    • Kingston (623, 172)
    • Salt Key Bank (495, 634)

    The tavern you can construct in your hideout at Great Inagua (845, 468) does not count for this achievement.

  • Recruit 500 crew members.

    Your crew is important as they help you capture ships when you initiate a boarding action. You can upgrade the sleeping quarters on the Jackdaw to have more room for crew at any given time. You will have several missions where you recruit crew members, but most of your crew will be rescued sailors out in the ocean and recruited through taverns. If you manage to complete the game without recruiting 500 members - unlikely, but theoretically possible - you can attack and board a man o' war and let them whittle down your crew, then finish the capture and go recruit more at a nearby tavern.

  • FTFY

     

    10

    Fully upgrade your hideout.

    Your hideout unlocks early in the game, and when you have time and spare money you can upgrade various locations for some benefit. Your hideout is located at Great Inagua (845, 468). The upgrades required for the achievement include the following:

    • Brothel (lets you hire dancer groups for free, cost: 15,000R)
    • Campfire (lets you hire drunken pirate groups for free, cost: 7,000R)
    • General Store (cost: 700R)
    • Guest house (cost: 40,000R)
    • Harbormaster (cost: 500R)
    • Manor - Facade (cost: 6,000R)
    • Manor - Tower and Gardens (cost: 18,000R)
    • Tavern (cost: 3,500R)
  • Visit every location of the game.

    This requires that you visit every location in the game at least once. You don't have to do anything while you are there. When looking at the main map, locations have a downward arrow mostly surrounded by a circle and are one of five different colors as detailed below:

    • Grey - unvisited
    • White - visited (named locations count, but not individual chests, fishing locations, etc.)
    • Red - fort that has not been captured
    • Green - fort that has been visited and captured, but not fully explored
    • Gold - visited and fully explored


    There will be other items on the map as well that are not locations and as such do not count. These include but are not limited to naval convoys, legendary ships you have yet to beat, individual chests and other items, harpooning locations, and ships you can attack.

    Note that many locations are unlocked through story progression, so you will not be able to unlock this until you start Sequence 10, Memory 3 at the earliest.

  • Hack 15 computers in Abstergo Entertainment.

    There are a total of 33 computers in the modern day scenes. You only need to access 15 of them for the achievement. To hack them you will need to complete mini-games to simulate bypassing the firewalls and other security features on the computers.

    The computers will show up on your map if you press the menu button. After the end of the third present day mission you will have access to enough computers to unlock this, although you can wait until the end of the present day missions when they are all available and this is much quicker to do. You will also hack several during the present day missions, and those do count toward the achievement.

  • Perform 5 air assassinations from a swinging rope.

    You will perform one during Sequence 10 Memory 1 if you complete the optional objective, and that memory is set up to make the air assassination extremely easy. It is at the very end of the memory, so it isn't fast to grind out, but if you have problems that is an option.

    When boarding ships to capture and plunder them, the easiest way to board is by using a rope near the front of the ship or next to the wheel. If you hop up on the railing you will see a short beam sticking out from the rail with a rope attached to it and leading up to the rigging or a spar. The rope shimmers to let you know you can perform an action with it. Hold down to swing, and if the ship you are boarding is on level with you or lower in the water, you will swing above its deck. If there are any enemy crew nearby, watch for them to shimmer and when they do, press to assassinate them. You will likely board several hundred ships during the game, so you will have a lot of opportunity to earn air assassinations from swinging ropes.

    The achievement will unlock after your fifth successful air assassination from a rope swing.

  • Share each type of discovery with friends once.

    There are three types of social discovery that can be shared with friends. As long as you are playing online, the sharing will happen automatically. There are social chests found on land, and white whales and royal convoys that are found at sea. The one item that makes this challenging is that they are located randomly and change daily. However, they also are quite common and as long as you actively investigate everything you see around you it should not be an issue.

    You do not need to activate a Uplay passport for this achievement, but you will need to be connected to Xbox Live.

  • Board a ship without losing any crew members.

    To unlock this achievement, you will need to cripple a ship and then approach it and initiate boarding action by holding . Once you do that, the entire time your crew are pulling your ship close and then actively boarding must be done without losing any of your crew. Since the enemy crew will be shooting muskets at you and your crew, this is partly luck. Set yourself up for success by upgrading your swivel guns and attacking a schooner since that only requires killing five enemy crew. If you see an explosive barrel on their deck, that can sometimes take out 2-3 crew with one shot. Speed is of the essence! If you run out of ammunition, or see your crew start to jump across, jump over as well and use smoke bombs to incapacitate everyone and finish your kills that way.

    Note that if your crew jumps across, the swivel gun can kill them as well and that will obviously void the achievement as well.

    *** Special Note *** Some people have reported that this would not unlock for them when attacking schooners. If that happens for you, try a brig instead as the next smallest ship.

  • Rescue pirate hostages by distracting enemies with "dancers."

    This achievement can first be earned in Sequence 3, Memory 2 - Now Hiring. You will start the memory at a tavern. If you open up your map you will see a blue flower icon just northeast of you across the square. Approach them and press to hire them. On the north side of the tavern you started in are some stairs, so walk up those and then head south toward the church in the restricted zone. Stay on the right side of the church and make sure that you have the dancers with you so that you are hidden. If you get ahead of them the guards will detect you and shoot the hostages. The two gunners guarding the hostages are on the south side of the church, so press when you see it pop up as an option over their heads, and then approach the hostages and press to recruit them and unlock the achievement.

    You can also unlock this achievement in free play if you see a rescue pirate icon where they are going to be executed and have dancers nearby. However, those stop spawning at a certain point in the story, so at that point you will need to replay the memory above if you have yet to earn Siren Song.

  • Kill 4 enemies in a row using multi-pistols.

    First you will have to craft pistol holsters II, III, and IV in the craft menu. Pistol holster II requires two ocelot pelts, pistol holster III requires two humpback whale skins, and pistol holster IV requires two crocodile leather. You can acquire them through hunting or purchase them at the general store. All of the animals can be found and hunted at multiple locations throughout the map, but one location for each is provided below:

    • Ocelot - Abaco Island (606, 835)
    • Humpback whale - (240, 401)
    • Crocodile - Nassau (633, 784)

    Once you have crafted the holsters, it is also a good idea to equip a pistol that does 3 damage (or 5 if you have completed all of the naval contracts). At this point, fast travel to a town such as Havana or Kingston and find a group of four guards. Make sure none of them are brutes (carrying axes) and then press four times to kill the group.

  • Find a buried treasure.

    Treasure maps are scattered around the Caribbean on corpses, and will show up as collectibles indicated by a question mark when looking at what various locations have. Once you have a treasure map, you can access it by pressing until the maps are selected, and then press to open the selected map. You can change which map you are looking at by pressing and . Maps will have coordinates on the bottom right corner, so your first step is to travel to those coordinates. The map will have a rough sketch of part of that location with a red X on it, and you will need to locate the treasure at the X by using landmarks drawn on the map. When you approach the spot, you will be prompted to press to dig up the treasure.

  • Reach level 55 in Multiplayer.

    Multiplayer is accessed from the main menu, and contains a variety of game modes for competitive and cooperative multiplayer. You can also play one of the modes - Wolfpack - solo if you are not a fan of the multiplayer. You will need 526,000 experience to reach level 55. The fastest two ways to earn experience are Wolfpack either solo or with a good group of four, or stun boosting in Manhunt with a group of 6.

    Currently you get a daily bonus for XP for the first 20 minutes of play if you played the day before. All XP and credits earned are doubled (including what you earn for accolades and challenges), so you are better off playing at least two rounds of Wolfpack a day to maximize the bonus. If you play Standard Wolfpack solo and never run (unless you get detected and the enemy is fleeing) you can blow through the 25 sequences in about 15 minutes.

  • Finish a game session with an ability set that you customized in Multiplayer.

    You will need to have some Abstergo Credits before you can unlock this achievement, which are earned by playing the game.

    From the multiplayer menu, press once to access the Customization menu. Press to edit your ability set. Press again to edit ability 1 and purchase any of the options you have unlocked, such as Decoy. You will go through a couple confirmation screens and then be back at the Customization menu. Press and the game will save your customized ability set. Press and then choose a game and play it through to completion for this achievement to unlock.

  • Complete the Discovery Mode of Wolfpack in Multiplayer.

    The Discovery Mode of Wolfpack is essentially the training on how to play Wolfpack. Access the multiplayer menu from the main menu, and scroll down to Wolfpack. Press and you will have Discovery on the left. There are eight missions you will have to complete, and the whole event should take less than 30 minutes.

  • Play and complete a game session of Game Lab in the Multiplayer Public playlist.

    The Game Lab is designed to let you create customized games with special rules. You can also join custom games other people have created. The achievement requires you play a complete session from start to finish in a public game, so setting up a private game with friends does not qualify.

    To access the Game Lab, choose Multiplayer from the main menu, then use the to select Game Lab in the middle of the screen and press . From the Game Lab menu, choose the default option on the left by pressing and then again to search for a public game.

  • Play on every game mode, and use every ability and ranged weapon once in Multiplayer.

    You must play every game mode available and use each ability and ranged weapon at least once in Multiplayer. The lists below can be used to ensure you don't miss anything:

    Game modes:

    1. Manhunt (requires 2 players for private, 4 for public)
    2. Artifact Assault (requires 2 players for private, 4 for public)
    3. Domination (requires 2 players for private, 4 for public)
    4. Wanted (requires 3 players for private, 4 for public)
    5. Deathmatch (requires 3 players for private, 4 for public)
    6. Assassinate (requires 2 players for private, 4 for public)
    7. Wolfpack (requires 1 player for private, 2 for public)
    8. Game Labs (requires 2 players for private, 4 for public)

    Abilities:

    1. Disguise (level 1)
    2. Money Bomb (level 1)
    3. Time Phase (level 6)
    4. Decoy (level 6)
    5. Morph (level 12)
    6. Firecrackers (level 12)
    7. Tripwire Bomb (level 18)
    8. Bodyguard (level 18, cannot be used in Wolfpack)
    9. Booby Trap (level 26)
    10. Glimmer (level 26)
    11. Wipe (level 34)
    12. Animus Shield (level 34)
    13. Teleport (level 42)
    14. Poison (level 42)
    15. Smoke Bomb (level 48)

    Ranged Weapons:

    1. Disruption (level 4)
    2. Knives (level 12)
    3. Sabotage (level 28)
    4. Pistol (level 38)
    5. Poison Dart (level 48)
 

Secret achievements

  • Complete present day mission 2.

    This is a story related achievement that cannot be missed. You will unlock this at the end of mission 2 in the present day.

    Present Day, Mission 2 - A Small Favour: You will visit Olivier Garneau in his office and then will be contacted by John from IT. John will have you access a co-worker's terminal and copy a video file which then gets delivered to a courier.

    To access the files on the co-worker's computer you have to beat a puzzle mini-game that simulates the security locking the terminal down. On the target computer (and two others in the same room that you should access for Ghost In The Machine) you need to rotate the sphere up, down, left, and right until the light stops on the green ring. You can't stop the sphere, it rotates until the light stops because its path has ended. Once you have the light on the green line, rotate the sphere so that the light travels along the green line, and that will unlock the computer.

    There are two more computers that you can access in a room that your badge will unlock. If you access your map, they are in the room that is in the northeast, and you will see computer icons indicating that you can hack them. You will see a number 1 next to the door at waist height when you are walking up to it. These computers have a mini-game to access them that resembles Frogger. You need to move your point of light across the lines that are moving without going off the top or bottom of the screen and without hitting any of the red line segments.

  • Complete present day mission 3.

    This is a story related achievement that cannot be missed. You will be pulled out of the animus after completing Sequence 6 in the past, and you will unlock this at the end of mission 3 in the present day.

    Present Day, Mission 3 - Corporate Pressure: You will accompany Melanie to visit Olivier Garneau in his office, but will be left in his waiting area where you will again be contacted by John from IT. John will have you calibrate some security cameras which result in you spying on the meeting Melanie and Olivier are having. John will then blackmail you into breaking into Olivier's office and hacking his computer. You then deliver the information from Olivier's computer to the courier and the mission is complete.

    Beyond the two computers you hack for the mission, you should also hack any other computers you have access to for Ghost In The Machine. Access your map and look for the computer icon, and remember to hack the computer used by Olivier's secretary when you leave his office. You will have more complex puzzles in this Mission: a variation on the sphere puzzle that include a teleportation circle, a variation on the Frogger puzzle that has vertical lines you can only access when they turn squiggly for short periods of time, and ones involving finding the roots of a number (the first one wants you to find the roots of 70, which are 2, 5, and 7).

  • Complete present day mission 4.

    This is a story related achievement that cannot be missed. You will be pulled out of the animus at the end of memory sequence 10 and wake up in a secure room you can't leave. You will unlock this at the end of mission 4 in the present day.

    Present Day, Mission 4 - The Bunker: When you log out of the animus you will be in a containment facility as a suspect in some computer crime. John springs you loose and has you sneak into the server room where an apparition speaks to you and John gets angry.

    If you have yet to unlock Ghost In The Machine, there are more computers you can access at this point. View your map to locate them easily.

  • Complete present day mission 5.

    This is a story related achievement that cannot be missed. You will unlock this at the end of mission 5 in the present day.

    Present Day, Mission 5 - A Face From The Past: You wake up from the Animus with John attempting to kill you. You stall him with conversation until security gets there and shoots him. Melanie apologizes for the whole situation, including keeping you in detention. As you think about quitting this job and going home, the courier and barista from the lobby contact you and convince you to stay and continue to collect information for the Assassin's.

    If you have yet to unlock Ghost In The Machine, you now have the ability to access all 33 computers in the game. View your map to locate them easily.

  • Wake up in a haystack.

    This achievement is obtainable once you unlock your first tavern. You need to approach the bar and have five drinks. As you are drinking, the screen will start to wobble and spin to simulate drunkenness, and after the fifth one you will black out. When you regain control, you will be in a haystack and the achievement will unlock. This must be done in an outdoor tavern, so only the taverns at the following locations are useful for Hungover:
     

    • Andreas Island (579, 720)
    • Arroyos (192, 563)
    • Corozal (42, 268)
    • Crooked Island (807, 541)
    • Ile à Vache (843, 140)
    • Grand Cayman (397, 324)
    • Great Inagua (845, 468) ** Only if you choose to build one here
    • Salt Key Bank (495, 634)

DLC: Freedom Cry

There are 6 achievements with a total of 170 points

  • Free your first slave.

    You will unlock this right at the start of Memory 2 - A Common Enemy. When you gain control of Adewale, run after the overseer and kill him before he kills the lady. If you fail, you will desynchronize, so this is not a missable achievement.

  • Liberate 500 slaves.

    There are thousands of slaves you can free (they respawn indefinitely), and you are required free slaves to unlock the various memories so this should come merely by playing the game. Once you have your ship (after Memory 4) you can sail around the Caribbean capturing slave ships and going to various plantations to free 30-100 at a time.

    There are in-game benefits for freeing slaves and recruiting Maroons (a portion of liberated slaves will join the cause and become Maroons). They are listed below, followed by how many liberated slaves/recruited Maroons are required to earn the rewards, and can make the game significantly easier.

    Liberation Rewards

    • Rope dart pouch I - 25
    • Smoke bomb pouch I - 50
    • Dart pouch I - 75
    • Experto Crede appearance - 100
    • Ironclad ram - 125
    • Blunderbuss ammo pouch I - 150
    • Firecracker bag I - 200
    • Steel-forged machete - 300
    • Portable cannon - 400
    • Special reward (adds 4000R to your multiplayer wallet) - 500

    Resistance rewards

    • Core crew members - 20
    • Resistance fighters I - 25
    • Plantation raid bonus I - 30
    • Ammunition rebates - 35
    • Resistance fighters II - 40
    • Additional crew members - 45
    • Plantation raid bonus II - 50
    • Full crew members - 55
    • Resistance fighters III - 60
    • Free ammunition - 70
  • Kill 5 guards at once with a blunderbuss.

    As soon as you get the blunderbuss and purchase ammunition for it, head towards the beach. There is a small fort at the lower left corner of Port au Prince, which shows on the map as red with a chest in it, directly west of one of the viewpoints. Walk in there and about 15 guards will attack you. Once they are all around you, run out one of the exits just so they are all on one side of you, then turn around and press . I killed 9 guards with one shot using this approach.

    This is also an optional objective in Memory 9 where you are required to kill 5 guards at once with the blunderbuss, and it is best done in this same location as this is where the governor runs to after he spots you.

  • Freedom Cry - Achieve 100% synchronization

    The optional objectives required for 100% synchronization are listed below, along with advice on how to complete them.

    Memory 1 - The Calm Before The Storm

    1. Locate the Templar Admiral's ship using the spyglass: As soon as you have control, press and hold to activate the spyglass and locate the Templar Admiral's ship ahead and to the left.
    2. Use the mortar to surprise the templar fleet: Steer toward the fleet and hold down the to activate the mortar aiming system. As soon as any target is in range, fire by pressing .

    Memory 2 - A Common Enemy

    • This memory has no optional objectives

    Memory 3 - Laying the First Brick

    1. Push an overseer into the water: When fighting with an overseer near the water, counter using and then instead of killing him, press again to throw him. You can aim with if needed. This won't generally kill him, so be prepared when he climbs out of the water, but it will complete the objective requirement.
    2. Perform an air assassination from a height of 10 meters: Once this objective activates, you will be underground in the Maroon hideout. There is a pole to your right with an enemy beyond it and a ways down. Air assassinate that enemy from the top of the pole and this optional objective will be complete.

    Memory 4 - A Ship of His Own

    1. Use Bastienne's girls to distract the guards: As with dancers in the main game, Bastienne's girls can be hired and used to distract guards. Approach them on your map and hire by pressing , and then when you approach some guards press to distract the guards. I recommend doing this before the firecrackers as when you light off the firecrackers all the girls run away for a few minutes.
    2. Distract 4 guards with firecrackers: You need to distract four guards simultaneously. Select the firecrackers with and light them with . The firecrackers will go off at your feet or below you on the street if you are standing on the edge of a roof. A good location is down by the objective since there are lots of guards in close proximity. Note that at least one person has reported the ability to complete this objective without doing four at once, but since the objective doesn't show up with a counter (0 of 4, 2 of 4, etc) that seems unlikely to be accurate. I was unable to replicate that on multiple profiles as well.

    Memory 5 - Lifting the Veil

    1. Kill the overseer who led the slaves: You will need to activate Eagle Vision by clicking and find the gold colored enemy by the entrance to the grounds. At that point you merely need to kill him or knock him out to complete the objective. You will want to hide the body so the alarm bell doesn't sound.
    2. Liberate the slaves from the slave barracks: When this objective appears, go to your map and you can see a punishment icon with three slaves to liberate. They are directly north of you, on the edge of the restricted zone. While there are multiple guards in the area, you must kill the two specific guards who are closest to the slaves. At that point the objective will be complete and you merely need to cross the the grounds to the broken wall in the far corner to get back to Bastienne and end the mission.

    Memory 6 - A Scientific Inquiry

    1. Complete all 5 investigations: The investigations show up on your mini-map as magnifying glasses. You need to complete 3 of 5 investigations to complete the mission, but do all five to complete the optional objective.
    2. Do not kill anyone while investigating: You will need to avoid killing any guards. Other than avoiding people, the only actions you can take are sleep darts and smoke bombs. Note that this does not apply to the actual investigation people. There is a thief on a boat who you will need to kill and loot; that does not void this optional objective.

    Memory 7 - Plant the Seeds

    1. Sink the pirate schooners before sinking the brig: By now you should be familiar with schooners as the smaller of the ships, while brigs are larger. Schooners take very little damage to sink, so this is one of the easier optional objectives. To make it even easier, activate the spyglass by pressing and press when you identify the brig. This will keep it highlighted and even easier to avoid accidentally hitting it until all the other ships are gone.
    2. Destroy the pirate flotilla in 6 minutes: This is mostly a matter of accuracy when you fire, and having upgraded The Experto Crede before the mission starts.

    Memory 8 - Down with the Ship

    1. Take less than 50% damage during the naval fight: Using mortars is key, and it helps to focus on one ship at a time, keeping your distance as best you can. DON'T SHOOT THE SLAVE SHIP
    2. Liberate 15 slaves: There are seven groups of three, so you only need to free five groups. When you enter the room with the slaves, look for the glowing pole and RUN over to it and press to start a minigame. If you mess up any of the minigames, restart your checkpoint because you won't have time to recover. There are three sets in the first room and four in the second room. Waste no time on this one, speed is of the essence.

    Memory 9 - de Fayet's Last Stand

    1. Kill de Fayet with the branding iron: You will need to complete the other optional objective first as killing de Fayet ends the memory. After successfully using the blunderbuss, press twice to switch to unarmed combat. If anyone attacks you, press once to counter, but don't counterattack. Stay close to the Gouverneur and when he attacks you, press to counter and then to disarm him. You will now be holding the branding iron, so it is merely a matter of killing with it. The easiest approach is to immediately drop a smoke bomb, walk up to him and press to end the mission.
    2. Kill 5 guards with the blunderbuss: You must complete this optional objective prior to killing de Fayet! After you get spotted (just approach the gates to ensure this happens in a timely manner) the Gouverneur will run to the small fort detailed in Firepower. It is south of dock, right on the beach. As soon as the cut scene is over, run down there with the intent of reaching it before him. There are 5 soldiers standing in a tight group just as you enter the fort from the north. If you run to the left of them, turn and press to unlock Firepower (if you haven't already done so) and complete the optional objective as well.
 

Secret achievements

  • Gave the Gouverneur a taste of his own medicine.

    In Memory 9 after you get spotted (just approach the gates to ensure this happens in a timely manner) the Gouverneur will run down to the waterfront to the small fort detailed in Firepower. As soon as the cut scene is over, run down there with the intent of reaching it before him. There are 5 soldiers standing in a tight group just as you enter the fort from the north. If you run to the left of them, turn and press to unlock Firepower (if you haven't already done so) and complete the optional objective for the same, and then press twice to switch to unarmed combat. If anyone attacks you, press once to counter, but don't counterattack. The mission takes place at night, so I found it useful to press to highlight the Gouverneur in gold. Stay close to him and when he attacks you, press to counter and then to disarm him. You will now be holding the branding iron, so it is merely a matter of killing with it.

  • Freedom Cry - Completed all missions.

    This achievement will unlock at the end of Memory 9. You do not need to complete the optional objectives for this achievement.

DLC: Blackbeard's Wrath

There are 4 achievements with a total of 80 points

  • Playing as The Jaguar, be the highest scoring player of a Domination game session.

    You can earn this in a public domination match by being the highest scoring player when your team is playing as The Jaguar. If the team captain for that round doesn't choose The Jaguar as your playable character, you will have to wait. You earn points by capturing control points and killing opponents; obviously high value kills are more useful.

    If you want to earn it with friends, you can do it in a public clan match with 4 players. For the public clan match you will need to have two people in one clan and two people in another clan, and then set your game type to Clan and Domination. Very few people play the multiplayer portion of the game to start with, and even fewer play clan mode, so this is the best way to ensure that you can successfully obtain the achievement without having other people join the game and interfere. If you want to lock other people out, you will need two clans of four.

    Whoever is going to unlock the achievement needs to capture all three points and then you can wait for 3-4 minutes for the victory screen - and achievement - to pop up. It is important that the other person/people on the winning team not go around killing the opponents to ensure that the intended player has the highest score.

    Note that this does not reliably unlock in a private match, so unlike the other achievements in the Blackbeard's Wrath DLC it should be done in public multiplayer.

  • Playing as Blackbeard, perform an acrobatic kill and a gun kill in less than 10 seconds.

    You will need to be at least level 38 to unlock the pistol. Once you have an ability set created with the pistol, play a solo game of private Wolfpack on Prison. When a chest defense scenario starts, there is an acrobatic perch above three of the five possible chest locations. Climb up to the perch and wait for there to be a guard below and at the next chest. Press to assassinate the guard beneath you for the acrobatic kill, and then use the pistol to kill the guard at the next chest by locking on to him with and holding to fire. It may be easier to shoot the other guard first and then perform the acrobatic kill; the order does not matter for the achievement. Also, don't shoot a guard using glimmer (semi-invisible) as sometimes that doesn't kill him.

    You can also do this sequence of events in any other game type, public or private, but this is the easiest and most reliable method.

  • Playing as The Orchid, block 10 abilities from opponents with Sabotage.

    You will need to be at least level 28 to use Sabotage as your ranged weapon. Once you have created an ability set with Sabotage, enter a public or private multiplayer game with The Orchid as your character. You can unlock this in solo Wolfpack by targeting the AI before they use an ability.

    Thanks to Bofur for the following solution and Wolfpack tips:

    It has to be used on someone ABOUT to use an ability. If done successfully, you'll hear a weird ringing noise. If you do not use it successfully, nothing will happen.

    Tips for Wolfpack: When the looters approach your chest, use it on them. If they are walking, they are about to use glimmer (which turns them invisible). Use Sabotage roughly 2 seconds before they get to the chest. If they are running, they are about to use decoy. Use this just a fraction before they get to your chest. You can also do it on the guys who show up around sequence 20. They stand in a group of two, and one of them is a decoy. Keep your distance, so they can't stun you, but wait for their question mark to fill up. As he runs away, use sabotage on him because he's about to use teleport. To activate sabotage, you will need to lock on to your target with and then press to activate.

  • Kill a player using a lift that has been trapped with Booby Trap.

    You will need to be level 26 to use the Booby Trap. Once you have created an ability set with Booby Trap, enter a public or private adversarial match and find a lift on the side of a building. Use Booby Trap on the lift and then either have a friend use it and die, or you can climb the building and wait at the top to present a tempting target.

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