Trinkets are passive accessories new to the Resynced remake. You equip two at a time from your inventory, and their effects stay active as long as they are slotted. The right pair covers both combat and economy so you spend less time grinding and more time boarding ships.
This guide covers Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced at launch (July 9, 2026). It applies to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect).
Quick Summary
- You can equip two trinkets at once. Swap them any time from your inventory.
- Trinkets come in five rarity tiers: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Legendary. Rarity does not always equal usefulness.
- You find trinkets in land and underwater chests, at General Stores and Treasure Dealers, through treasure maps, and as rewards from Templar Hunts, Assassin Contracts, and side missions.
- Best early pairing: Exotic Sea Shells + Lodestone. Best combat pairing: Abyssal Pendant + Narwhal's Horn.
Top 5 Trinkets
1. Abyssal Pendant
Restores health on every kill. No cooldown, no activation requirement. In any fight with three or more enemies, the Pendant keeps your health bar climbing while you chain kills. Pair it with aggressive play and you rarely need to disengage.
Pick this up as your primary combat trinket and keep it equipped for most of the game. It works during story missions, fort assaults, boarding sequences, and Templar Hunts.
2. Exotic Sea Shells
Doubles the yield from skinning animals. Crafting upgrades for the Jackdaw and Edward's gear chew through hides, bones, and pelts. With the Sea Shells equipped, every hunting trip delivers twice the materials, cutting your farm time in half.
Grab this one early. It sits in a treasure chest in southeast Havana near coordinates 213, 568. Equip it before you start hunting for upgrade materials and you save hours of backtracking.
3. Narwhal's Horn
Breaks enemy defenses faster. Armored soldiers, Captains, and Brute-class enemies guard more often than regular troops. The Horn shortens the window you spend chipping through their block, letting you stagger and finish them quicker.
Find it at a house on Cat Island. Despite being classified as Rare, it outperforms several Legendary trinkets in sustained combat where you face mixed enemy groups.
4. Lodestone
Loots nearby corpses and curios without you stopping to press a button. After clearing a fort or finishing a boarding sequence, the Lodestone picks up every drop as you walk past. No more crouching over bodies one at a time.
Buy it from the General Store at Great Inagua after upgrading to General Store II. The price is 7,000 Reales. Worth every coin once you factor in the time you save across dozens of fights.
5. Lock of Hair
Restores health after a perfect parry. If you already time parries well, this trinket rewards that skill with free healing on every successful window. It pairs with the Narwhal's Horn for a defensive combat style: break guards fast, parry counters, and heal in the process.
Located inside an Animus Rift on Great Inagua. You need to complete the Rift platforming challenge to claim it.
Best Trinkets by Situation
| Situation | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early game (Sequences 2-4) | Exotic Sea Shells | Lodestone | Max material yield and auto-loot while you grind early upgrades. |
| Fort assaults | Abyssal Pendant | Narwhal's Horn | Kill-based healing plus faster guard breaks against armored soldiers. |
| Boarding ships | Abyssal Pendant | Black Pearl | Chain takedowns to extra enemies. Heal off the kills. |
| Underwater exploration | Diamond Trinket | Lodestone | Slower oxygen drain and auto-pickup for sunken loot. |
| Templar Hunts / Contracts | Abyssal Pendant | Lock of Hair | Double healing sources for longer stealth-to-combat encounters. |
| Open-world sailing and looting | Anchor Medallion | Lodestone | Better floating loot rewards plus hands-free pickup on land. |
Other Trinkets Worth Keeping
Wooden Eyeball (Legendary)
Lets you kill Brutes with a quick pistol shot. Brutes normally tank bullets and force you into long counter sequences. With the Wooden Eyeball, hit them with a quick shot and they drop. Useful in multi-enemy fights where a Brute blocks your escape route.
To get it, collect all four Preserved Map Pieces from military warehouse raids. They drop at random, so you may need to hit several warehouses. Once you have all four, the completed map leads you to Sacrifice Island (coordinates 14, 554). Dig at the stone archway on the northwest beach.
Guardian Beast (Legendary)
Regenerates health while out of combat. Not as aggressive as the Abyssal Pendant, but useful for players who prefer stealth and need to recover between engagements without searching for medicine.
Find the "Smelly Sailors" local event in Havana (coordinates 225, 573) to get the Map of Shipwreck. Follow it to an underwater chest in Dry Tortuga (coordinates 356, 701).
Black Pearl (Rare)
Extends your takedown chain to one more enemy. During boarding fights and ground combat alike, this extra chain lets you clear clusters faster. Buy it from the Treasure Dealer for 60 Wine, 40 Spice, 30 Tobacco, and 20 Aloe.
Diamond Trinket
Slows oxygen drain underwater. Essential for diving bell missions and underwater shipwreck exploration where you need the extra seconds to reach chests before surfacing. Found in an underwater chest near Cape Bonavista, under the first viewpoint.
Anchor Medallion
Increases rewards from floating loot you collect after sinking or boarding ships at sea. If you spend long stretches sailing and raiding, this trinket adds up over time. Located in a chest inside a cave on Sacrifice Island.
How to Get Trinkets
| Method | Details |
|---|---|
| Land chests | Scattered across cities, plantations, and islands. Check restricted areas and rooftops. |
| Underwater chests | Found near diving bells, shipwrecks, and unmarked underwater locations. |
| General Stores | Stock improves as you upgrade your Great Inagua hideout. General Store II unlocks higher-tier trinkets like the Lodestone. |
| Treasure Dealers | Trade goods (Wine, Spice, Tobacco, Aloe) for specific trinkets like the Black Pearl. |
| Treasure maps | Collected from local events and exploration. Lead to Legendary trinkets like the Guardian Beast and Wooden Eyeball. |
| Templar Hunts / Contracts | Completion rewards sometimes include trinkets. |
| Animus Rifts | Platforming challenges that reward trinkets like the Lock of Hair. |
Rarity Does Not Equal Power
Trinkets span five tiers: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Legendary. The label on the trinket does not determine how useful it is. The Narwhal's Horn is Rare but outperforms most Legendary options in ground combat. The Lodestone is Rare and stays in your loadout for the entire game.
Judge trinkets by their effect, not their color. A Legendary trinket that heals you out of combat sounds strong on paper, but the Rare Abyssal Pendant heals you mid-fight where it counts more.
FAQ
Can I respec or reset my trinkets?
You do not need to. Trinkets swap freely from your inventory with no cost or cooldown. Change them before any mission.
Do trinkets work during naval combat?
Trinkets affect Edward's on-foot abilities. They do not modify the Jackdaw's cannons, mortars, or ship armor. They activate during boarding sequences once you are fighting on deck.
When should I start collecting trinkets?
As soon as you reach Havana in Sequence 2. The Exotic Sea Shells chest is accessible from the start, and the earlier you equip them, the more materials you save on crafting upgrades.
Is there a trinket cap?
You can collect every trinket in the game. Only two can be equipped at once, but switching is instant.
Do DLC or edition-exclusive trinkets exist?
Yes. The Brass Bird Trinket (shorter Rope Dart cooldown) comes with the Deluxe Edition. The Demon-forged Pendant (sets Berserk Dart targets on fire) is part of the Hellfire pack. Both are functional but not required for any build.