Top 5 Recovered Maps in AC Black Flag Resynced – What to Collect First

Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced is out now, and the Caribbean Sea once again beckons pirates in search of treasure. Among the dozens of collectibles, restored maps stand out—their fragments are scattered throughout the archipelago, and the final rewards include both legendary weapons and rare cosmetic sets. There are five such maps in total, and each has its own, sometimes quite complex, collection method. Wandering the islands hoping to stumble upon everything you need can waste a lot of time and frustration. This guide clearly shows where and how to obtain each fragment, the order in which to master the maps to avoid getting lost, and what ultimately proves most useful.

What are restored maps and why collect them?

In Black Flag Resynced, there are two types of treasure maps: regular ones (found on corpses or in chests) and restored ones—those assembled from fragments. The latter lead to particularly valuable treasures: blueprints for ship upgrades, unique weapons, outfits for Edward and his crew, and trinkets with useful effects.

Each restored map requires a certain number of fragments—two to four. The game only provides vague clues about where to find them, so without a systematic approach, collecting them will drag on for a long time. Below is a complete route through all five maps, with coordinates, conditions, and rewards.

Preserved Map—Military Depot Fragments

To assemble a Preserved Map, you need four fragments. They are obtained randomly by looting military depots throughout the Caribbean. The specific depot is unimportant, and looting one does not guarantee a fragment. This is pure luck, so be prepared for several runs.

A complete list of depots with coordinates

How to speed up farming?

Warehouses can be restocked by completing Kenway Fleet reconnaissance missions. This allows you to plunder the same warehouse repeatedly. Early on, it’s best to start with the northern warehouses—Cat Island, Nassau, and Havana—they’re easier and carry minimal risk.

Important: The treasure chest cannot be opened without a completed map. Don’t waste time trying to dig it up early.

Reward: Once you’ve collected all the fragments, head to coordinates 14, 554—that’s Sacrifis Island. Look for a large stone archway on the northwest side of the beach. At its base is a dig site. Inside: the Wooden Eye trinket and the Shadows and Darkness Robe.

Weathered Map—Smuggler’s Dens and the Treasure Merchant

Good news: finding fragments of the Weathered Map isn’t a matter of luck. To get all five fragments, you need to:

• Open all chests in five Smuggler’s Dens (out of six available).
• Purchase the final fragment from the Treasure Merchant on Great Inagua for 200 spices.

Where can I find all the dens?

Inside each lair, you must kill the guards and find the key to the chest, which will contain a fragment of the Weathered Map. The sixth lair is a spare lair; you can visit any five of the six.

How to unlock the Treasure Merchant on Great Inagua

The Treasure Merchant is a secret vendor that appears after capturing Great Inagua. To unlock it:

1. Progress through the story to the point where the island becomes your personal base.
2. Build the Treasure Merchant’s shop within the base.

Once construction is complete, a merchant will appear on the wooden pier by the water—he’s easily recognizable by the necklace icon above his head.

This merchant not only sells a Weathered Map fragment for 200 spices but also offers other rare items, such as bones for the crew’s skeleton suit. He also accepts resources (wine, spices, tobacco, aloe) in exchange for unique trinkets like the Black Pearl, a reference to Pirates of the Caribbean.

Reward: With the completed map, sail to the Mysterious Island at coordinates 914, 124. On the right side of the island, near the pirates’ boxing ring, find a huge pit with skeletons and a haystack. The chest is in front of the haystack. Inside: a Gargoyle’s Breath pistol and Persian scimitars.

Yellow Map – Kenway’s Fleet and Trade Missions

This map is the most frustrating to collect because it’s completely tied to the “Kenway’s Fleet” side activity.

Access to the fleet is unlocked in the fourth story sequence, immediately after completing the quest “This Old Cove.” The fleet map is located in the Jackdaw’s cabin—go to the planning table. Alternatively, it can be found in the villa on Great Inagua.

To obtain yellow map fragments, send ships on trade missions. Successful trade missions have a chance of yielding a fragment. There is no other way. Obtaining a fragment is not guaranteed—it may take several attempts.

Tip: Send ships on missions whenever possible. The more ships in your fleet, the faster your collection will be.

Reward: Once the map is complete, sail to Black Island at coordinates 915, 617. Find a small beach on the northeastern side of the island. Before climbing the scaffolding, you’ll find a chest in the sand to the right near the rocky wall.

Tattered Map – Hunting Hunter Ships

Tattered Map fragments are obtained from Hunter Ships. To spawn them:

1. Attack enemy ships to increase your wanted level.
2. The wanted level has three tiers.
3. Upon reaching a certain level, a Hunter Ship with distinctive red sails and a skull icon appears.

The Hunter Ship will attempt to sink the Jackdaw—that’s what you need. Tattered Map fragments can only drop from these ships.

How to board a Hunter Ship correctly

1. Immobilize the Hunter Ship.
2. Board it.
3. Reduce the crew’s morale to zero.
4. Always choose the “Captain’s Chest” option at the end.

This is where a Tattered Map Fragment has a chance of dropping. You may have to hunt ships of higher ranks than the first one that appears.

Reward: After collecting the map, sail to Florida at coordinates 381, 803. In the northernmost part of the island, find a skeleton leaning against a shipwreck surrounded by palm trees. Inside the chest: an Elite Steering Wheel, Elegant Crew Attire, and Gilded Sails.

Digested Map – White Jaguar and a Bug or a Feature?

Digested Map Fragments are the most unusual. In the current version of the game, there are two ways to obtain them.

Main Method

Kill and skin the white jaguar, which is located in the southeastern part of Great Inagua Island. Access to this location becomes available after liberating and capturing the island. Head south through the jungle until you reach your destination.

Recommendation: Hide in a tree and shoot the predator with pistols—the jaguar deals serious damage if unblocked.

The second fragment in the main scenario is awarded for completing the “Opium Templar Hunt” questline.

Alternative Method (Potential Bug)

There’s a suspected bug in the game: if you kill a white jaguar a second time and loot it, the animal may simply drop the missing fragment, saving a significant amount of time. Ubisoft developers have already acknowledged a number of bugs in the game and promised to fix them in the next patch. The exact release date for the update hasn’t been officially confirmed.

So, if you’ve only found one fragment after digging around the jungle, try returning to the hunting spot and seeing if the jaguar resurfaces. If not, you’ll have to complete the Templar hunt. Reward: With both fragments, sail to Santanillas at coordinates 188, 215. Head to the large ruins in the center of the island, look for a small stream flowing in from the ocean. It will lead to a passage with a burial site on the left, where two guards are rummaging through loot. The chest contains the Hunter’s Amulet trinket and a Hunter’s outfit.

All rewards from restored maps — what’s really overpowered?

The bottom line: if you want to really boost your character, master the Weathered map first. Gargoyle’s Breath is a top-tier pistol that outperforms all standard weapons. The remaining rewards are mostly cosmetic or provide minor bonuses.

Is the Deluxe Edition worth buying map packs?

The Deluxe Edition of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced includes the base game and several bonus packs: the Master Assassin Pack (a costume, sword, pistol, and trinket for Edward), the Master Assassin Naval Pack, and the Blackbeard Scarlet Pack.

The Deluxe Edition does not include the map pack—it’s a separate DLC pack for $4.99. The total price of all DLC packs at launch is $89.99, which is $30 more than the standard edition.

Is it worth buying?

• If you want to save time and don’t plan on farming fragments manually, the map pack provides ready-made, restored maps, simplifying the process.
• If you’re interested in the exploration process itself and don’t mind spending a few hours searching, purchasing the pack is overkill.
• The Deluxe Edition provides cosmetics and small bonuses, but doesn’t significantly impact gameplay.

The community is already criticizing Ubisoft for the abundance of paid DLC on release day. So the decision is entirely up to you and your budget and time preferences.

What playthrough order should I choose?

To avoid giving up on collecting halfway through, I recommend the following route:

1. Weathered Map – the most reliable (no randomness) and yields the best weapons.
2. Mothballed Map – farming warehouses is combined with regular sailing.
3. Tattered Map – hunting Hunters requires combat experience, so save it for the middle.
4. Yellow Map – Run it in parallel through your fleet, without spending most of your time on it.
5. Overcooked Map – at the very end, when Great Inagua and the Templar hunt open up.

If you’re stuck on any part, check if you missed the official Ubisoft update. Bugs, including a possible one with the jaguar, may be fixed in one of the upcoming patches.

Happy hunting, Captain. The maps await – and the rewards are worth it.