Kenway's Fleet is a passive income system in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced where you send captured ships on trade, piracy, scout, and patrol missions for Reales and resources. You manage it from a planning table in the Captain's Cabin on the Jackdaw or at your Great Inagua hideout. The Resynced remake rebuilt the fleet as a native offline system, removing the old companion app and turn-based combat mini-game from the 2013 original.
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 unlock Kenway's Fleet after the Sequence 4 mission "This Old Cove."
- Board enemy ships and pick "Send to Kenway's Fleet" to add them to your roster.
- Each ship class runs one mission type: Schooners trade, Brigs pirate, Frigates scout, Man o' Wars patrol.
- Patrol missions lower a route's risk level, which protects your other ships from damage.
- Keep one fleet slot empty so you can grab a high-star ship when you find one at sea.
- Clearing a region's fort unlocks that region's fleet missions.
How to Unlock Kenway's Fleet
You unlock the fleet by completing "This Old Cove" near the end of Sequence 4. That same mission gives you access to the Great Inagua hideout. Once unlocked, the planning table appears in two places: inside the main room of the Great Inagua manor and in the Captain's Cabin aboard the Jackdaw.
If you do not see the fleet table, check your story progress. You cannot access it before finishing Sequence 4.
How to Capture Ships for Your Fleet
- Use the Spyglass to identify a target. Zoom in on any ship to see its class, level, and cargo.
- Engage and damage the ship until its health bar drops low enough to trigger a boarding prompt.
- Board the ship and complete the boarding objectives (kill the crew, cut the flag, destroy powder reserves, or other tasks depending on ship class).
- Select "Send to Kenway's Fleet" from the post-boarding menu.
If your fleet is full, you cannot send a new ship until you salvage an existing one. Salvaging removes a ship from your roster and gives you a small resource refund.
What to Look for When Capturing
Ships have a star rating from one to three. Higher-star ships carry more health and survive dangerous missions more often. When you spot a three-star Brig or Man o' War through the Spyglass, prioritize capturing it even if your fleet is full. Salvage a weaker ship to make room.
A reliable way to find top-tier ships: raise your Wanted Level to 4. Pirate Hunter ships that spawn to chase you are often Level 60 vessels with high star ratings. Defeat and board them for the strongest possible fleet additions.
Ship Classes and Mission Types
Each ship class fits one mission type. You cannot send a Schooner on a Patrol mission or a Man o' War on a Trade run. Build a mixed fleet to cover all four mission types.
| Ship Class | Mission Type | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Schooner | Trade | Earns Reales through trade goods. Best profit per mission alongside Brigs. |
| Brig | Piracy | Earns Reales by raiding. Matches Schooners for gold output. |
| Frigate | Scout | Restocks your warehouses with metal, wood, cloth, and other resources. |
| Man o' War | Patrol | Lowers the risk level of a sea zone, reducing damage your other ships take. |
Managing Risk and Keeping Ships Alive
Every mission has a damage threshold. If the route's risk level is high and your ship's health is too low, the ship gets sunk. You lose it permanently and have to capture a replacement.
How to Lower Risk
- Assign a Man o' War to a Patrol mission in the danger zone.
- Wait for the patrol to complete. The risk level for that route drops by one tier.
- Repeat until the zone is safe enough for your Trade and Piracy ships.
Make this a habit before sending valuable three-star Schooners or Brigs on high-risk routes. Patrol first, profit second.
Checking Ship Health
Open the fleet table and select any ship to see its current health. If a ship returned damaged from a prior mission, wait for it to recover or pay Reales to repair it before sending it out again. Damaged ships on dangerous routes are the fastest way to lose your fleet.
How to Expand Your Fleet
You start with a small number of berths. More berths means more ships running missions at the same time, which means more income. Two methods exist for expansion.
Buying Berths Directly
Individual berths can be purchased at the fleet planning table for roughly 5,000 Reales each.
Hideout Upgrades
Certain Great Inagua upgrades add bonus berths on top of the ones you buy. The upgrades build on each other in a chain:
| Upgrade | Cost | Berths Added | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facade | 4,000 R | 1 | None |
| Tower and Garden | 8,000 R | 1 | Facade |
| Guesthouse | 20,000 R | 1 | Tower and Garden |
| Campfire | 6,000 R | 2 | Tavern restored |
Your fleet can hold up to ten ships at maximum. Plan purchases early. The sooner you expand, the sooner your ships earn return on investment.
Unlocking New Trade Routes
Fleet missions are locked behind the region's fort. If you open the fleet table and see grayed-out routes, you need to capture the fort that controls that area first.
- Sail to the fort's location (marked on the world map).
- Attack the fort with the Jackdaw's cannons. Destroy the fort's defenses.
- Dock and fight through the ground assault to claim the fort.
- The fort turns friendly, reveals nearby map locations, and unlocks that region's fleet routes.
Capture forts as you encounter them during the main story. Each cleared fort opens new missions with better payouts.
Recommended Fleet Composition
Once you reach ten berths, aim for this setup:
| Ship Class | Quantity | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Schooner | 2 | Steady trade income. |
| Brig | 3–4 | Highest volume of gold-earning piracy missions. |
| Frigate | 1 | Keeps your warehouses stocked for Jackdaw upgrades. |
| Man o' War | 2 | Keeps risk levels down so trade and piracy ships survive. |
| Empty Slot | 1 | Reserves room for capturing rare, high-star ships at sea. |
Adjust based on what you need. If you are rushing Jackdaw upgrades and need resources, swap a Brig for a second Frigate. If you keep losing ships, add a third Man o' War for heavier patrols.
Fleet Rewards Worth Knowing
Most fleet missions pay out Reales and crafting resources (metal, wood, cloth). But certain mission chains unlock exclusive items you cannot get elsewhere.
- Treasure Maps: Some high-level fleet missions reward treasure maps that lead to Elite Jackdaw upgrade plans. These are the only way to get Elite Hull Armor, Elite Broadside Cannons, and other endgame ship upgrades.
- Resource Stockpiles: Scout missions (Frigates) restock warehouses with materials needed for Jackdaw and hideout upgrades. Running scouts consistently means you spend less time boarding random ships for crafting materials.
- Passive Reales: A full fleet running Trade and Piracy missions generates thousands of Reales between play sessions. Check back at the planning table after completing a few story missions and collect the earnings.
What Changed from the Original Black Flag
If you played the 2013 release, Resynced handles the fleet differently in several ways:
- No companion app required. The original's fleet features relied on an external mobile app that Ubisoft shut down years ago. Resynced builds the entire system into the game.
- No internet connection needed. Fleet management runs offline. You do not need Ubisoft server access.
- Turn-based naval battles removed. The original forced you through a tedious mini-game of fleet-vs-fleet combat on trade routes. Resynced replaces that with a hands-off simulation. You assign the ships, and results play out based on ship stats vs. route risk.
- Star rating system. Ships now carry one-to-three-star ratings that affect their health and mission survival. The original did not surface this information as clearly.
Common Mistakes
- Sending ships on high-risk routes without patrolling first. You will lose ships. Run Man o' War patrols before committing Schooners or Brigs to dangerous zones.
- Keeping a full roster. If all ten berths are filled and you encounter a three-star Man o' War at sea, you cannot capture it. Always hold one slot open.
- Ignoring forts. Uncaptured forts lock you out of profitable mission routes. Clear them as you progress through the story.
- Running only one ship class. A fleet of ten Brigs earns gold but cannot patrol, scout, or trade. Balance your roster.
- Skipping the Spyglass. Checking a ship before engaging tells you its class and star level. Without the Spyglass, you board blindly and might waste a berth on a one-star Schooner.
FAQ
Can I use Kenway's Fleet offline?
Yes. Resynced runs the entire fleet system offline with no internet or Ubisoft server connection required.
When does Kenway's Fleet unlock?
After completing "This Old Cove" at the end of Sequence 4.
What happens if a fleet ship is sunk?
You lose it. You need to capture and assign a replacement. There is no way to recover a destroyed ship.
How many ships can I have?
Up to ten, after purchasing all available berths and completing the hideout upgrades that add fleet slots.
Do I need to clear forts for fleet missions?
Yes. Each region's fleet routes are locked until you capture the fort controlling that area.
What is the fastest way to get high-star ships?
Raise your Wanted Level to 4. The Pirate Hunter ships that spawn are often Level 60 with three-star ratings. Board and capture them.
For more on sailing, combat basics, and your hideout, see our Black Flag Resynced Beginner's Guide.