Every Black Flag Ultimate Plan location is right here, timestamped and mapped out, so you can get your Jackdaw to level five as fast as possible. Once you’ve got a fully upgraded ship, you’ll actually stand a chance against the legendary ships.
These assassin’s creed black flag ultimate plans locations aren’t always obvious, some are sitting in a big chest at the bottom of a diving bell wreck, others are buried after you follow a treasure map halfway across the Caribbean, so I’ll tell you exactly where to go and what to watch out for along the way. Bookmark this guide before you head out, because you’ll probably want to come back to it as you unlock new regions, and if you’ve already finished the story, our full spoiler review of the ending is worth a read once you’re caught up on everything else.
Ship Weapons to Unlock First in Black Flag Resynced
Before you spend a single real upgrading anything, there are three weapons you can unlock completely free, and you’ll want them in your arsenal before you start pouring resources into upgrades. The first is the dual front cannons, genuinely one of the best weapons in the entire game, and you get them for free just by defeating the easiest fort in the Dry Tortuga region, right in the top left corner of the map. Take the fort and the front cannons unlock automatically, ready to be upgraded at the harbor master.
Next up are the shrapnel barrels. These are four barrels you toss off the back of your ship that shred enemy sails and slow their speed, basically carpet bombing anyone chasing you. You unlock these by capturing Fort Charlotte in the south of the map, which is a tougher fight, so you might want to put this one off until you’ve got a few upgrades under your belt. Then there’s the upgraded mortar weapon itself, which trades area of effect for high single target damage and is fantastic against the bigger boss ships. This one only comes from the late main story quest called Everything is Permitted, the final quest of Sequence 11, so it’s a genuine endgame weapon.
Finishing that quest chain also opens up A World Without Gold, and that’s where you recruit Deadman, a new officer who joins your crew as your Master Gunner after you track him down and bring him back to Great Inagua. Deadman’s perk is a real game changer, your broadside cannons now fire a second volley automatically after the first, as long as the enemy ship is still lined up in your arc, which basically doubles your damage output in a single pass. If you haven’t upgraded Great Inagua yet, we’ve got a full breakdown of which Great Inagua hideout upgrades are worth prioritizing before you go chasing officers.
- Capture the easiest fort in Dry Tortuga
- Unlock Double Shot
- Capturing Fort Charlotte for shrapnel barrels
- Upgraded mortar
- Recruit Deadman, a new officer
- Unlock all officers
Now let’s get into where to actually find all of these black flag ultimate plans locations, starting with the ones sitting inside diving bell wrecks. You’ll always know it’s the right chest because it’s noticeably bigger than the small gold chests scattered around, so don’t waste time looting every little box you swim past.
Swivel Guns Ultimate Plan Location
The swivel gun strength plan, good for another 50 percent damage, is hidden inside Devil’s Eye Cavern near the center of the map. No sharks at this one, but you’ll need to follow a winding underwater tunnel that eventually climbs out into a dry passage where the chest is sitting, then you can dive back in and ride the current back out to your ship.
- Swivel Guns Ultimate Plan Location
- Mini-map with the chest marked
- You’ll find the treasure in the cave
Hull Armor Ultimate Plan Location
The armored hull upgrade, worth 5,000 armor at level five, comes from San Ignacio Wreck in the Dry Tortuga region. It’s part of Blackbeard’s questline during the main story, so you can’t really miss it, it’s the very first dive location you visit once you get the diving bell. Open your map when you’re underwater for a mini map of the wreck and swim straight to the marked chest.
- Hull Armor Ultimate Plan Location
- Internal mini-map for this location
- Find and open the reward chest
Ram Ultimate Plan Location
The ram upgrade, which turns your battering ram into a serious weapon especially paired with the Padre officer’s speed boost, is an easy one at La Concepcion Wreck in the southwest, just swim into the shipwreck ahead of you, dodge the jellyfish, and the chest is on your right.
The rest of these black flag ultimate plans locations come from treasure maps rather than direct dives, so you’ll need to find the map first and then follow it to the actual dig or dive site.
- Ram Ultimate Plan Location
- A large ship immediately after submerging
- On the right, you’ll see a large chest containing a reward
Mortars Ultimate Plan Location
The base mortars plan, separate from the mortar weapon you unlock through the story, is tucked inside Antocha Wreck, northwest of Great Inagua. Swim to the southernmost shipwreck in the dive area and look for a broken section of hull with an air barrel floating just outside it, the chest is resting against the left wall inside. Grabbing it unlocks the path toward the Mortar IV upgrade, which eventually pushes your auxiliary damage all the way up to 300 percent once fully leveled.
- Mortars Ultimate Plan Location
- Make your way to the marked location
- A huge shark will attack you there
- After that, you’ll be able to open the chest
Broadside Cannons Number Ultimate Plan Location
For more broadside cannons, dive at the Blue Hole in the far south, near Fort Charlotte. Head to the big chest in the north of the diving site, watch out for the swamp weed on the way, and keep an eye up toward the surface, there’s a sperm whale swimming around up there, which is honestly the only spot in the game I’ve seen wildlife like that underwater.
- Broadside Cannons Number Ultimate Plan Location
- The location in Blue Hall where you’ll find the chest
- The chest with Broadside Cannons Number
Round Shot Strength Ultimate Plan Location
The round shot strength plan, which adds a huge 50 percent damage boost to your round and heated shot, is at Kabah Ruins in the southwest, in the Nassau region. This one has a bit of a puzzle to it. Swim past the temple, head into the long tunnel to the north, and you’ll find an air pocket partway through where you can catch your breath. There’s a tide that pushes you back if you try to swim the corridor straight through, so duck into the side section and wait for the current to pass before pushing on with the wooden barrier to your right where the chest is waiting.
- Round Shot Strength Ultimate Plan Location
- A Super-Tough Underwater Tunnel to the Chest
- Open the chest with the reward
Heavy Shot Storage Ultimate Plan Location
Heavy shot storage starts with a map on the northwest corner of Cayman Sound, a Spanish held island you can swim onto without docking nearby, and the actual dig site is back at Petite Cavern, this time behind the huge waterfall between the rock and the wooden bridge.
- Cayman Sound Location
- Cayman Sound close-up
- Treasure Map of Cayman Sound
- Map of Petite Caverne
- Heavy Shot Storage Ultimate Plan Location
- Go around the waterfall on the left and dig
Fire Barrel Strength Ultimate Plan Location
The fire barrel strength plan is tucked inside Petite Cavern on the east side of the map, near the waterfall in the pirates’ storage area.
- Santanillas Treasure Map Location
- An approximate map of the island
- You’ll find the map in this spot
- The treasure map looks like this
- Fire Barrel Strength Ultimate Plan Location
- You need to find a cave underwater
- Then deal with the pirates
- And only then can you dig up your treasure
Mortar Storage Ultimate Plan Location
Mortar storage comes from a map near a rowboat on the beach at Cumberland Bay, which then sends you to a tea plantation where the chest is hiding behind a waterfall.
- Cumberland Bay Location
- Look near the Rowboat
- You’ll find the treasure map here
- Matanzas Treasure Map
- Mortar Storage Ultimate Plan Location
- Digging for treasure behind the waterfall
Harpoon Strength Ultimate Plan Location
The harpoon strength plan starts as a map on Maraguana Island, hidden in a cave behind overgrown ivy, and points you to a small island in the north with a couple of palm trees where you dig up the reward.
- Treasure Map Location
- Select a treasure map
- This is what the treasure map you found looks like
- The location where you’ll find this treasure
- Harpoon Strength Ultimate Plan Location
- Dig here to get a reward
Heavy Shot Strength Ultimate Plan Location
Heavy shot strength is the trickiest of the bunch, the map is hidden in a small alcove inside a pirate hideout in the far southwest, and following it leads you to a stone temple where the dig prompt is tucked into the bushes behind a little waterfall. Most of these chests also drop somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 gold on top of the plan itself, so tracking them all down pays for your upgrades along the way.
- Ambergris Key Location
- Find this spot and dive underwater
- In the cave, climb up this structure
- Here you’ll find skeletons and a treasure map
- The Misteriosa treasure map looks like this
- Location of the Misteriosa treasure map
- Heavy Shot Strength Ultimate Plan Location
- Digging in thick grass – don’t miss it
Fire Barrel Storage Ultimate Plan Location
Fire barrel storage starts as a map you’ll find climbing the rocky outcrop on Santanella Island in the southwest, and leads to a cave near the center of the map where you’ll need to dive underwater, clear out a few pirates, and dig up the chest by the wheelbarrow.
- Map Location for Fire Barrel Storage
- Approximate location on the map
- You’ll get a treasure map here
- Tulum Treasure Map
- Fire Barrel Storage Ultimate Plan Location
- Dig up the chest to get
Once your ship is sitting at level five, it’s time to go after the legendary ships, and even with a maxed out Jackdaw these fights are still genuinely difficult. Worth knowing, Black Flag Resynced actually expanded the legendary ship roster to six total, adding La Dama Negra and the non respawning HMS Ipswich on top of the four returning ships covered here. If you want the full rundown on those two, including how La Dama Negra’s stern is its real weak point despite its heavily armored sides, our legendary ships guide covers all six fights and their reward breakdowns in detail.
If you’re chasing every unlock in this remake, it’s also worth checking what else changed under the hood, since a few new mechanics and cosmetic systems got added that weren’t in the original release, and we’ve covered the hidden finishers, legacy outfits, and NG+ changes in a separate breakdown if you want the full picture.
Frequently Asked Questions About Black Flag Ultimate Plans
How many Ultimate Plans are there in Black Flag Resynced? There are 12 total, covering hull armor, round shot, broadside cannon number, mortars, swivel guns, ram, harpoon strength, fire barrel strength and storage, mortar storage, and heavy shot strength and storage.
How many legendary ships are in Black Flag Resynced? Six in total. This guide focuses on the four returning ships, El Impoluto, HMS Prince, HMS Fearless, and Royal Sovereign, while La Dama Negra and HMS Ipswich are new additions covered in our dedicated legendary ships guide.
What weapon should I unlock first in Black Flag Resynced? The front cannons, unlocked for free by taking the easiest fort in Dry Tortuga, are one of the strongest weapons in the game and worth grabbing before you spend resources on anything else.
How do I recruit Deadman? Complete Everything is Permitted at the end of Sequence 11, then work through the A World Without Gold chapter and bring him back to Great Inagua, where he joins as your Master Gunner.
Do I need to fully upgrade my ship before fighting legendary ships? You don’t strictly need every ultimate plan, but a level five hull and broadsides make a massive difference, since even a maxed out Jackdaw still struggles against these fights.
That covers every ultimate plan location you need to get your Jackdaw to level five, along with the strategy and rewards for the legendary ships waiting at the end. Check out our other guides on ingametor.com if you’re still working through Black Flag Resynced’s story or hunting down its new content.