Naval Battle Tips for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

I’ve seen quite a few people having trouble with the naval sections of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Here are some tips for taking down ships that are bigger than you.

1. Mortars are your best friend. These allow you to target forts and ships from up to 500m away. Buy them first. Plaster your opponents with them.
2. Upgrade your hull to level 3 as soon as possible and you’ll be able to take on most ships below man o’war level.
3.  Keep a small disabled ship nearby for quick repairs. Forts and ships won’t attack you while you’re boarding another ship so start running for it as soon as your health drops below half.

4. Don’t bother about your pirate notoriety. Hunters are more an inconvenience then a real threat. Send ships back to your fleet to scuttle for gems if you don’t need repairs.

5. Stay on the slowest speed in heated battles. You’re more manoeuvrable that way. Save travel speed for avoiding incoming fire and only when really necessary.
6. Don’t forget your heavy shot. Hit the right trigger by itself to fire these point-blank cannons. If you ever find yourself alongside a hostile ship in close quartets these flaming balls will cause devastating damage.
7. Position yourself in the middle. Start boarding (i.e. grappling) a ship when your helm is level with the middle of the disabled ship. This should allow your swing cannon to reach key points at the bow and stern.
8. Bring plenty of smoke bombs. If you’re just grinding through ships to get metal or wood for upgrades, all those fights can get tedious. Toss a smoke bomb on the deck and you should be able to rack up 4 kills in a matter of seconds.
9. Collect as many sea shanties as you can. The standard four will drive you up the wall if you don’t. If you’re having trouble with a sea shanty, try approaching it from the opposite direction.

Hope that helps.